2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Geological & Earth Sciences School for You
Geological & Earth Sciences is the #96 most popular major in California with 991 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in California to see which programs offered the best value experiences for geology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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.
Featured Geology Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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BS in Geosciences - Natural Resources Conservation
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Top 10 Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Long Beach the best value school in California for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSULB are $6,846 a year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Long Beach Report
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The excellent programs at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best geological and earth sciences schools in California. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 per year. On average, geology graduates from Cal Poly Pomona take out $18,579 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California list. Sac State is a fairly 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. Geology majors at Sac State take out an average of $17,487 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Sacramento Report
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Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the # 4 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a very large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State LA are $6,785 a year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Los Angeles Report
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Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $8,136 per year. After completing their degree, geology graduates from SDSU carry an average student debtload of $26,874.
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With a ranking of #6, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year. The average amount in student loans that geology majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out is $15,000.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value geological and earth sciences programs. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 a year. On average, geology graduates from Cal State Fullerton take out $20,125 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Fullerton
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California State University - Stanislaus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public school with a large student population.
Stan State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,644 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at California State University - Stanislaus Report
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California State University - San Bernardino ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of San Bernardino.
CSUSB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,213 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #10, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best value schools for geological and earth sciences students. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.
UC Berkeley undergraduate students pay an average of $14,226 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, geology majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $11,000 in student debt.
UC Berkeley also took the #3 spot in our Best Geological & Earth Sciences Schools in California rankings.
Full Geological & Earth Sciences at University of California - Berkeley Report
Request InformationBest Value Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Geological & Earth Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 339 |
| Oregon | 137 |
| Nevada | 69 |
| Hawaii | 42 |
| Alaska | 37 |
More Geological & Earth Sciences Rankings in California
Majors Related to Geology
One of 8 majors within the area of study, geological and earth sciences has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Geology
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Physics | 13,674 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 22 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 Kelvinsong.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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