2026 Best Value Population Biology Schools in California
[Population Biology](/majors/biological-biomedical-sciences/ecology-evolution-systematics-population-biology/population-biology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for population biology students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Population Biology Schools in California
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in population biology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Population Biology Schools
For return on investment in population biology, no school beat University Of California Davis this year. Located in the suburb of Davis, University Of California Davis is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $15,804, while out-of-state students pay about $47,692. Population Biology graduates carry a median of $19,951 in student loans. Soon after graduation, population biology degree recipients from University Of California Davis generally make around $32,161. That is a strong return on a $19,951 median debt. University Of California Davis admits about 42% of applicants.
More Population Biology Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 1 school 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.
