2026 Best Value Agroecology & Sustainable Agriculture Schools in California

[Agroecology & Sustainable Agriculture](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/agricultural-production/agroecology-and-sustainable-agriculture/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong agroecology & sustainable agriculture education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value agroecology & sustainable agriculture schools.
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2026 Best Value Agroecology & Sustainable Agriculture Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in agroecology & sustainable agriculture, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Agroecology & Sustainable Agriculture Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of California Davis the best value for a degree in agroecology & sustainable agriculture in California. Located in the suburb of Davis, University Of California Davis is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $15,804, while out-of-state students pay about $47,692. Typical student debt for agroecology & sustainable agriculture graduates is $13,712. Early-career agroecology & sustainable agriculture graduates make about $53,749. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 42% of applicants are accepted.
University Of California Santa Cruz came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value agroecology & sustainable agriculture schools. Set in the city of Santa Cruz, University Of California Santa Cruz is a very large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $15,035, with out-of-state students paying around $46,923. Typical student debt for agroecology & sustainable agriculture graduates is $18,559. Early-career agroecology & sustainable agriculture graduates make about $40,920. Set against $18,559 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of California Santa Cruz admits about 66% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.