2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Environmental Engineering School for You
With 339 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, environmental engineering is the #153 most popular major in California.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 12 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for environmental engineering students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Environmental Engineering Schools
Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best value school for environmental engineering students who want to pursue a degree in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. After completing their degree, environmental engineering graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $21,121.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full Environmental Engineering at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
Request Information
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $6,976 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Environmental Engineering at California State University - Fullerton Report
Request Information
The excellent programs at San Diego State University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best environmental engineering schools in California. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SDSU are $8,136 a year. While working on their degree, environmental engineering majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $21,169 in student debt.
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in California list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UC Berkeley is ranked #3 for overall quality for environmental engineering in California.
Full Environmental Engineering at University of California - Berkeley Report
Request Information
The excellent programs at Humboldt State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best environmental engineering schools in California. Located in the town of Arcata, Humboldt State University is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Humboldt State University are $7,864 a year. After completing their degree, environmental engineering graduates from Humboldt State University carry an average student debtload of $31,000.
Read full report on Environmental Engineering at Humboldt State University
Request Information
University of California - Davis ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in California list. UC Davis is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.
UC Davis undergraduate students pay an average of $14,645 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UC Davis also did well on our Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Environmental Engineering at University of California - Davis Report
Request Information
With a ranking of #7, University of California - Riverside did quite well on this year’s best value schools for environmental engineering students. UCR is a very large public school located in the large city of Riverside.
UCR undergraduate students pay an average of $13,754 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Environmental Engineering majors at UCR take out an average of $22,743 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Environmental Engineering at University of California - Riverside
Request Information
University of California - Irvine ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in California list. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the city of Irvine.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UC Irvine are $13,775 a year.
Request Information
University of California - San Diego came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Environmental Engineering Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UCSD are $14,700 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UCSD also did well on our Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Environmental Engineering at University of California - San Diego Report
Request Information
Stanford University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value environmental engineering programs. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Stanford undergraduate students pay an average of $56,169 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Stanford also made our Best Environmental Engineering Schools in California list, coming in at #1.
Request InformationBest Value Environmental Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Environmental Engineering Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 19 |
| Oregon | 50 |
| Nevada | 25 |
| Alaska | 1 |
More Environmental Engineering Rankings in California
Majors Related to Environmental Engineering
One of 40 majors within the area of study, environmental engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | 46,178 |
| Electrical Engineering | 28,844 |
| Civil Engineering | 21,388 |
| Computer Engineering | 17,987 |
| Chemical Engineering | 12,917 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alesia Goosic.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.