Best Agriculture Colleges in California (2026)
Updated
This page ranks the 9 Agriculture schools in California by median earnings of Agriculture graduates four years after completing. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the list with median earnings of $73,630 four years after completing.
Across the 7 schools with a published figure, earnings range from $73,630 to $26,353, with a median of $59,146. For 2 of the 9 listed schools the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
All 9 schools on the list are 9 public institutions. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo posts the highest six-year completion rate at 86%, and California State University-Los Angeles reports the lowest average net price at $3,967.
California State University-Los Angeles ranks 3rd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Median Agriculture Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $73,630 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports $73,630 in median earnings of Agriculture graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 31%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (165 graduates), Agricultural Business and Management (120 graduates), Food Science and Technology (101 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Agricultural Business and Management ($88,396), Agriculture, General ($84,412), Plant Sciences ($82,487) | |||||
| 2 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $65,006 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| With an average net price of $7,000, California State University-Fresno ranks 2nd on this list and posts median earnings of $65,006 four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agricultural Business and Management (109 graduates), Animal Sciences (88 graduates), Food Science and Technology (63 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Plant Sciences ($77,034), Agricultural Business and Management ($67,731), Food Science and Technology ($64,225) | |||||
| 3 | California State University-Stanislaus · Turlock, CA | $64,669 | $6,067 | $3,938 | 98.1% |
| A six-year completion rate of 53% coincides with median earnings of $64,669 for Agriculture graduates of California State University-Stanislaus four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agriculture, General (29 graduates) | |||||
| 4 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $59,146 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| California State University-Chico ranks 4th on this list and reports an average net price of $14,480 alongside a six-year completion rate of 63%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Agricultural Business and Management (77 graduates), Animal Sciences (67 graduates), Agriculture, General (48 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Plant Sciences ($68,629), Agricultural Business and Management ($65,198), Animal Sciences ($48,474) | |||||
| 5 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $56,610 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| Admitting 75% of applicants, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona shows median earnings of $56,610 for its Agriculture graduates four years after completing. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (139 graduates), Food Science and Technology (24 graduates), Plant Sciences (23 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Food Science and Technology ($75,601), Plant Sciences ($66,714), Animal Sciences ($53,017) | |||||
| 6 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | No published median | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
| California State University-Los Angeles holds the lowest average net price on the page at $3,967 and an admission rate of 91%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Food Science and Technology (8 graduates) | |||||
| 7 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | No published median | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| Graduating 86% of its students within six years, University of California-Davis reports an average net price of $14,741. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Animal Sciences (368 graduates), Food Science and Technology (63 graduates), Agricultural Production Operations (28 graduates) Highest four-year median earnings by program: Food Science and Technology ($70,571), Animal Sciences ($48,441) | |||||
| 8 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt · Arcata, CA | $39,927 | $13,171 | $8,483 | 98.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt reports median earnings of $39,927 for its Agriculture graduates two years after completing and an admission rate of 98%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Plant Sciences (8 graduates) | |||||
| 9 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $26,353 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| Ranking 9th on this list, University of California-Santa Cruz posts median earnings of $26,353 two years after completing and a six-year completion rate of 75%. | |||||
Largest programs by graduates in the earnings cohort: Plant Sciences (13 graduates), Agricultural Production Operations (6 graduates) | |||||
How this list is ordered
Schools are ordered by the median earnings of their Agriculture graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only schools with a reported Agriculture earnings cohort in California appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing the program. For 2 of the 9 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The range and median below cover the 7 schools with a published figure. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the list at $73,630, opening a gap of $8,624 over second-place California State University-Fresno.
Job market context in California
Agriculture graduates in California enter occupations such as Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals, First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, and Food Science Technicians. The median annual wage across those occupations is $61,935, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $49,831. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 4.2% higher, with 134,430 projected openings a year, or about 7,046 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses the median earnings of Agriculture graduates four years after completing; the market figures describe the broader occupations, and the two are not the same measure.
Related rankings
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the United States
- Best Colleges in California
- Best Agriculture Colleges in Texas
- Agriculture Colleges in Kentucky
- Agriculture Colleges in Louisiana
- Agriculture Colleges in Missouri