Best Ecology Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Regional list from Best Ecology Programs in the United States
This page ranks 16 Ecology programs in the West by median earnings of Ecology graduates four years after completing. California State Polytechnic University-Pomona leads the list at 1st with median earnings of $63,525 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figure ranges from $63,525 to $19,227, with a median of $51,126. For 4 of the 16 programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 14 of the 16 programs, and private nonprofits for 2. California State University-Long Beach posts the lowest average net price on the list at $10,440.
University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $63,525 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona reports $63,525 in median earnings for its Ecology graduates four years after completing, with 30 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 2 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $62,011 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis admits 42% of applicants and its Ecology graduates earn a median of $62,011 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Brigham Young University · Provo, UT | $61,078 | $15,564 | $10,444 | 67.8% |
| A private nonprofit university in Provo, Brigham Young University shows median earnings of $61,078 for its Ecology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $55,588 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| California State University-Long Beach carries an average net price of $10,440 and ranks 5th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 5 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $54,370 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed at Colorado State University-Fort Collins left with a median of $20,000 in federal loans, and the school's Ecology graduates earn a median of $54,370 four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | University of Colorado Boulder · Boulder, CO | $53,429 | $25,346 | $14,231 | 78.1% |
| University of Colorado Boulder reports 209 graduates in the earnings cohort for its Ecology program, with median earnings of $53,429 four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $52,701 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| Ranking 7th on this list, University of California-San Diego posts an admission rate of 27% and median earnings of $52,701 for its Ecology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $51,559 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| With an average net price of $5,579 for families earning under $30,000, University of California-Los Angeles reports median earnings of $51,559 for its Ecology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $50,694 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| University of California-Santa Barbara shows a median of $13,993 in federal loans across all of its borrowers who completed, alongside median earnings of $50,694 for its Ecology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $49,821 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| Its Ecology graduates earn a median of $49,821 four years after completing, and University of California-Santa Cruz ranks 109th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 11 | University of Hawaii at Manoa · Honolulu, HI | $46,500 | $15,664 | $10,675 | 86.6% |
| Admitting 87% of applicants, University of Hawaii at Manoa reports median earnings of $46,500 for its Ecology graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | University of Hawaii at Hilo · Hilo, HI | $39,528 | $11,856 | $8,983 | 60.6% |
| An average net price of $11,856 coincides with median earnings of $39,528 for Ecology graduates of University of Hawaii at Hilo four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA | $36,674 | $14,091 | $6,384 | 39.2% |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus admits 39% of applicants and reports an average net price of $6,384 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
| 14 | University of Arizona · Tucson, AZ | $21,964 | $16,674 | $13,353 | 86.1% |
| With median earnings of $21,964 four years after completing, University of Arizona ranks 14th on this list and counts 27 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 15 | Hawaii Pacific University · Honolulu, HI | $20,687 | $29,657 | $25,758 | 85.9% |
| A private nonprofit university in Honolulu, Hawaii Pacific University reports 25 graduates in the earnings cohort and an average net price of $29,657. | |||||
| 16 | University of Oregon · Eugene, OR | $19,227 | $22,182 | $15,909 | 88.3% |
| University of Oregon posts median earnings of $19,227 four years after completing and ranks 384th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Ecology graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the West appear. The figure is the median for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 4 of the 16 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 gap between California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and University of California-Davis is $1,514, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom is $44,298.
Related rankings
- Best Ecology Programs in the United States
- Best Colleges in the West
- Best Ecology Programs in the Northeast
- Best Ecology Programs in the Midwest
- Best Ecology Programs in the South
- Biological Sciences Colleges in the West for Social Mobility