Best Plant Sciences Programs in the West (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Agriculture Colleges in the West
This page ranks the 14 Plant Sciences programs in the West by median earnings of Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads the list with median earnings of $82,487 for its graduates four years after completing.
Across the listed programs, the figures range from $82,487 to $26,353, with a median of $54,534. For 4 of the 14 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Every program on the list is at a public institution. California State University-Fresno reports the lowest average net price at $7,000.
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona ranks 15th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt posts the highest admission rate, admitting 98% of applicants.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA | $82,487 | $16,665 | $7,529 | 31.3% |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $82,487 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | California State University-Fresno · Fresno, CA | $77,034 | $7,000 | $5,105 | 95.3% |
| An average net price of $7,000 coincides with median earnings of $77,034 for Plant Sciences graduates at California State University-Fresno four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of California-Davis · Davis, CA | $72,335 | $14,741 | $9,211 | 41.8% |
| University of California-Davis admits 42% of applicants and reports median earnings of $72,335 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 4 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $68,629 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| California State University-Chico ranks 91st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $68,629 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $66,714 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| Median earnings of $66,714 for Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona sit alongside a median federal debt of $11,375 among Plant Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 6 | Oregon State University · Corvallis, OR | $57,950 | $19,604 | $12,107 | 77.3% |
| Oregon State University reports median earnings of $57,950 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $19,604. | |||||
| 7 | Washington State University · Pullman, WA | $56,415 | $14,971 | $7,074 | 86.6% |
| An admission rate of 87% and an average net price of $14,971 are posted by Washington State University. | |||||
| 8 | University of Wyoming · Laramie, WY | $52,652 | $13,599 | $7,977 | 96.9% |
| University of Wyoming reports median earnings of $52,652 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $18,000 in federal loans. | |||||
| 9 | University of Idaho · Moscow, ID | $47,392 | $14,831 | $11,270 | 75.5% |
| With an admission rate of 76%, University of Idaho reports median earnings of $47,392 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | Montana State University · Bozeman, MT | $45,392 | $22,499 | $17,797 | 82.1% |
| Montana State University reports median earnings of $45,392 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing, and a median federal debt of $20,500 among Plant Sciences completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 11 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins · Fort Collins, CO | $42,034 | $21,279 | $13,259 | 88.5% |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins ranks 200th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $42,034 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt · Arcata, CA | $39,927 | $13,171 | $8,483 | 98.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt admits 98% of applicants and reports median earnings of $39,927 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 13 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus · Las Cruces, NM | $29,685 | $8,889 | $6,648 | 89.0% |
| New Mexico State University-Main Campus reports median earnings of $29,685 for its Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing, with 17 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 14 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $26,353 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz admits 66% of applicants and carries an average net price of $17,890. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Plant Sciences graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the West appear. The figure reflects federally aided completers of the Plant Sciences program who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after completing. For 4 of the 14 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. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo leads California State University-Fresno by $5,453.
Job market context in the West
The Bureau of Labor Statistics links Plant Sciences to occupations such as First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers, Conservation Scientists, and Soil and Plant Scientists. Across those occupations in the West, the median annual wage is $64,651, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $51,292. Projections for 2024 to 2034 show about 5,340 openings a year, or roughly 1,117 openings a year for every hundred graduates, with more projected openings than graduates. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 5.9% higher. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupational wage figures described here.
Related rankings
- Plant Sciences Programs
- Best Colleges in the West
- Plant Sciences Programs in the Midwest
- Plant Sciences Programs in the Northeast
- Plant Sciences Programs in the South
- Agriculture Colleges in the West for Social Mobility
- Best Agriculture Colleges in the West