Is a environmental science and conservation degree from Cal Poly Humboldt worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 52% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal Poly Humboldt Environmental Science and Conservation (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Cal Poly Humboldt environmental science and conservation graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $15,500, which ranks 7th lowest of 21 environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $164 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Cal Poly Humboldt environmental science and conservation graduates stay in California?

Most do. 85% (176 of 208) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Public university
Arcata, CA
About 120 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal Poly Humboldt environmental science and conservation graduates earn about what environmental science and conservation graduates earn nationally, $29,917 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,500 in federal loans, less than at 92% of environmental science and conservation programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying environmental science and conservation degrees in California.

First-year earnings$29,91726th percentile of 247 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,87170% more than year one

Median federal debt$15,5007th lowest of 21 California programs

Debt-to-earnings52%California median 53%, national 67%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal Poly Humboldt	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,917	$35,197	$33,976
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,871	$67,402	$54,967
Median federal debt at graduation	$15,500	$16,533	$23,078
Debt as share of first-year pay	52%	53%	67%
Programs compared		24	247

Five years out, Cal Poly Humboldt graduates earn less than the national figure and about $16,531 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every California environmental science and conservation program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.

Cal Poly HumboldtOther California programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 70% between the first and fifth year.

Cal Poly Humboldt grads, year 1$29,917

Cal Poly Humboldt grads, year 5$50,871

All California environmental science and conservation grads, year 5$67,402

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $16,666 against $14,076.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$30,893Median debt $16,666

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$25,829Median debt $14,076

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $164 a month, or 6.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (105 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $14,452.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (176 of 208) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of California outside metro areas are about the same as the national average.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to environmental science and conservation, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Compliance Officers

$96,980

Median pay in California. 49,880 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $57,530Top 10%: $158,280

Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

$106,510

Median pay in California. 12,490 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $65,350Top 10%: $161,910

Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health

$61,220

Median pay in California. 6,010 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $37,670Top 10%: $106,840

Forest and Conservation Technicians

$58,120

Median pay in California. 6,640 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.

Bottom 10%: $43,680Top 10%: $91,480

About Cal Poly Humboldt

In-state tuition and fees	$8,250 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,850 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,171 / year
Admission rate	98%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	49%
Undergraduate students	5,612

Environmental Science and Conservation ranks 15th of 32 bachelor's programs at Cal Poly Humboldt by first-year earnings. The top three are Environmental Engineering ($55,589), Forestry ($52,810), and Other Interdisciplinary Studies ($45,490).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,917 one year after graduating and $50,871 five years after. The median across environmental science and conservation bachelor's programs in California is $35,197.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the environmental science and conservation program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Environmental Science and Conservation bachelor's programs in California, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Environmental Science and Conservation bachelor's programs in the US, ranked247 programs by pay and debt All Cal Poly Humboldt programs, ranked32 programs by pay and debt