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Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California

2023 Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

30 Colleges
$13,239 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$36,789 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Natural Resources & Conservation School for You

Natural Resources & Conservation is the #24 most popular major in California with 3,928 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

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. This report analyzed 30 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for natural resources and conservation 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools

$6,976 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found California State University - Fullerton to be the best value school for natural resources and conservation students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.

Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $6,976 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Out of the 30 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Natural Resources & Conservation at San Jose State University Report

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$7,392 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means California State University - Sacramento is a great value for natural resources and conservation students. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

Sac State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,392 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Natural Resources & Conservation majors at Sac State take out an average of $18,956 in student loans while working on their egree.

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$6,995 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California State University - East Bay is a great value for natural resources and conservation students. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 a year.

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$6,846 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $13,609 in student debt.

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#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$8,136 Average Tuition & Fees

San Diego State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year. The average amount in student loans that natural resources and conservation majors at SDSU take out is $15,000.

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#7

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA
$7,988 Average Tuition & Fees

Sonoma State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SSU are $7,988 a year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from SSU carry an average student debtload of $18,250.

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#8

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California ranking. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $7,304 per year. While working on their degree, natural resources and conservation majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $16,404 in student debt.

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$7,727 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - San Marcos landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value natural resources and conservation programs. CSUSM is a large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year. On average, natural resources and conservation graduates from CSUSM take out $12,250 in student loans while working on their degree.

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$14,226 Average Tuition & Fees

University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California ranking. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UC Berkeley are $14,226 per year. After completing their degree, natural resources and conservation graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debtload of $12,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $275.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Natural Resources & Conservation Schools in California list.

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

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Best 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 835
Oregon 1,001
Hawaii 129
Nevada 107
Alaska 68

Natural Resources & Conservation Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Natural Resources Conservation 22,254
Natural Resource Management 2,933
Wildlife Management 2,449
Forestry 2,233
Fisheries Sciences 483
Natural Resources Conservation (Other) 151

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 254,454
Engineering 198,468
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396

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.

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