Bachelor's · San Luis Obispo, California
Is Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 4.5 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $51,338
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $74,358
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- Not enough borrowers to report
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $80k (likely $80k – $107k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $34k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 4.5 years (likely 3.5–5.9)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $42k (likely −$56k – $145k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $456k (likely $249k – $697k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 87%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at other schools
🌱 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward animals, plants & the planet majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Biology
- AP Environmental Science
- AP Chemistry
- AP Statistics
IB Higher Level
- Biology HL
- Environmental Systems and Societies
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
- Computer Science (Master's)$235,241
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$158,977
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$154,784
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$148,950
- Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$134,105
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering (Master's)$132,720
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$131,448
- Mechanical Engineering (Master's)$127,908
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$125,240
- Construction Management (Bachelor's)$118,331
- Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's)$113,572
- Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's)$112,797
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences at other schools in California
- University of California-Los Angeles$79,143
- San Diego State University$73,647
- California State University-Sacramento$73,418
- University of California-Davis$73,337
- California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$73,305
- University of California-Irvine$70,820
- California State University-Bakersfield$69,989
- University of California-Santa Barbara$66,788
- University of California-Santa Cruz$64,499
- University of California-Riverside$59,677