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2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

28 Ranked Colleges
3,248 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor's in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 30,341 people earned their degree in natural resources and conservation, making the major the 26th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, natural resources and conservation graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $33,196 and had an average of $25,077 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 4,073 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,215 and $22,557 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,248 natural resources and conservation graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in natural resources and conservation. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality natural resources and conservation programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the natural resources and conservation program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Natural Resources & Conservation in California

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 75 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend UCLA.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCLA Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#2

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school awarded 61 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also made our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend San Jose State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at San Jose State

#18 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Bakersfield. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUB, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $5,318 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - Bakersfield

#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. UC Berkeley is located in Berkeley, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 514 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,329 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - Berkeley Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#20 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 39 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,622 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - Long Beach

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to 358 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend UCSB.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at UCSB

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. CSUMB is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 72 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUMB, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $12,212 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at CSUMB

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is located in San Luis Obispo, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 121 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. SDSU is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,788 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend SDSU.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at San Diego State University

#10

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#21 in overall quality

Sonoma State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. SSU is located in Rohnert Park, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 43 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

SSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SSU is $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Sonoma State University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#22 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend Cal State East Bay.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - East Bay

#13

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California
#25 in overall quality

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend CSUSB is $7,342 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full CSUSB Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#9 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students list, UCSD has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - San Diego Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#7 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 371 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also took the #7 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of California - Davis

#16

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California
#11 in overall quality

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,871 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Natural Resources & Conservation at UCR

#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of California - Irvine

#24 in overall quality

California State University - Chico landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students per year to attend Chico State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at California State University - Chico

#19

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $15,113 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

Full San Francisco State University Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#20

Humboldt State University

Arcata, California

With a ranking of #20, Humboldt State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. Humboldt State University is located in Arcata, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 326 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $14,692 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend Humboldt State University.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Humboldt State University

#21

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 246 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for California Bachelor’s Degree Natural Resources & Conservation students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at University of California - Santa Cruz

#23

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, University of Redlands did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California list. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 49 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Redlands, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $27,958 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Redlands Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#24

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#14 in overall quality

University of San Diego came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 35 bachelors’s natural resources and conservation degrees in 2019-2020.

USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $32,460 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students per year to attend USD.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full USD Natural Resources & Conservation Report

#25

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California
#5 in overall quality

Santa Clara University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools for a Bachelor’s in California ranking. Located in Santa Clara, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 41 degrees to qualified bachelors’s natural resources and conservation students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SCU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Natural Resources & Conservation Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SCU is $38,327 for california bachelor’s degree natural resources & conservation students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Natural Resources & Conservation at Santa Clara University

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.

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