2023 Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Natural Resources Conservation School for You
With 3,429 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, natural resources conservation is the #36 most popular major in California.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 30 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for conservation students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Fullerton the best value school in California for natural resources conservation students. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fullerton.
Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $6,976 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California ranking.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great value for natural resources conservation students. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a very large student population.
Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, conservation majors at Sac State accumulate an average of around $18,956 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at California State University - East Bay helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best natural resources conservation schools in California. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 per year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California State University - Long Beach is a great value for natural resources conservation students. CSULB is a very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. On average, conservation graduates from CSULB take out $13,609 in student loans while working on their degree.
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San Diego State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources conservation programs. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $15,000.
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Sonoma State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California list. SSU is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Rohnert Park.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $7,988 per year. On average, conservation graduates from SSU take out $18,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at Sonoma State University Report
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San Francisco State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources conservation programs. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, conservation graduates from SFSU carry an average student debtload of $16,404.
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California State University - San Marcos came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year. While working on their degree, conservation majors at CSUSM accumulate an average of around $12,250 in student debt.
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University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year. On average, conservation graduates from UC Berkeley take out $12,500 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $275.
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 conservation in California.
Full Natural Resources Conservation at University of California - Berkeley Report
Request InformationBest Value Natural Resources Conservation Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Natural Resources Conservation Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 714 |
| Oregon | 483 |
| Nevada | 52 |
| Hawaii | 77 |
| Alaska | 32 |
More Natural Resources Conservation Rankings in California
Majors Related to Conservation
Natural Resources Conservation is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Natural Resource Management | 2,933 |
| Wildlife Management | 2,449 |
| Forestry | 2,233 |
| Fisheries Sciences | 483 |
| Natural Resources Conservation (Other) | 151 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 Lynn Betts.
More about our data sources and methodologies.