By major · Geology and Earth Science
Where can your student actually get into geology?
Geology and earth science is a small major with an unusually wide door. 408 colleges awarded a bachelor's in it in 2022-23. There are 38 colleges in California on this page, 24 of them publishing an admit rate into the major, and those rates run from 36% at UC Berkeley, where 99 students applied and 36 were admitted, to 100.0% at San Francisco State.
At a glance · California
- 38 colleges in California offer a bachelor's geology program; every one of them awarded the degree in 2022-23 (federal IPEDS completions).
- Largest programs by graduates in 2022-23: University of California-Santa Cruz (55), University of California-Santa Barbara (53), California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (37).
- Hardest reported gate into the program (only the UC and the CSU publish one): University of California-Berkeley — Geology, Fall 2025: 99 applied, 36 admitted (36%).
- Highest reported admit rate into the program: San Francisco State University — 100.0% (23 applied, 23 admitted, Fall 2025).
- Highest median earnings four years after the degree: University of California-Los Angeles, $79,143.
- Lowest average net price with aid: California State University-Los Angeles, $3,967 per year.
The same degree carries different names across the state. It is Geology at most campuses, Earth Sciences at others and Geosciences at a few more, and all of those are on this page. Geological and petroleum engineering are engineering degrees and are not counted here. Admits are not enrollees. At most UC programs students are admitted to the campus, not the major. This page as JSON → · All 414 colleges nationwide →
Hardest reported gate
Geology, Fall 2025: 99 applied, 36 admitted
Highest reported admit rate
Earth Sciences, Fall 2025: 23 applied, 23 admitted
Highest earnings, 4 yrs out
median, graduates of this program
Lowest net price with aid
average for aid recipients, per year
Every college, one row each
Colleges with a reported gate into the program come first, hardest first; the rest are sorted by earnings, then by graduates. Degree awarded is the program the college conferred bachelor's degrees in during 2022-23, with the number of graduates (federal IPEDS completions). Program admit rate is the college system's own number for this major (UC Information Center, CSU Chancellor's Office). Net price is the average paid by aid recipients; full price is the cost of attendance. Earnings are federal College Scorecard medians four years after the degree.
| College | Gate into the program | Degree awarded · graduates 2022-23 |
Program admit rate |
Campus admit rate |
Net price with aid |
Full price |
Earnings 4 yrs out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of California-Berkeley
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 99 applied, 36 admitted · admit GPA 4.11–4.24
|
Geology/Earth Science, General +2
27 graduates
|
36% | 10% | $13,481 | $45,619 | — |
|
University of California-Santa Barbara
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Earth Science
Fall 2025: 777 applied, 336 admitted · admit GPA 4.12–4.28
|
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
53 graduates
|
43% | 44% | $16,109 | $41,573 | $66,788 |
|
University of California-San Diego
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geosciences
Fall 2025: 114 applied, 56 admitted · admit GPA 4.13–4.27
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
15 graduates
|
49% | 27% | $12,470 | $38,701 | — |
|
San Diego State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 143 applied, 90 admitted
impacted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
8 graduates
|
62.9% | 34% | $15,364 | $27,780 | $73,647 |
|
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Earth Sciences
Fall 2025: 426 applied, 271 admitted
impacted
|
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other
37 graduates
|
63.6% | 30% | $16,665 | $32,265 | $69,227 |
|
University of California-Santa Cruz
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Earth Science
Fall 2025: 296 applied, 203 admitted · admit GPA 3.84–4.19
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
55 graduates
|
69% | 82% | $17,890 | $41,179 | $64,499 |
|
California State University-Long Beach
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 50 applied, 35 admitted
impacted
Earth Sciences: 94.4%
|
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
12 graduates
|
70.0% | 47% | $10,440 | $22,679 | — |
|
University of California-Davis
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 115 applied, 87 admitted · admit GPA 3.91–4.20
|
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
18 graduates
|
76% | 46% | $14,741 | $41,238 | $73,337 |
|
California State University-East Bay
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 18 applied, 15 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
6 graduates
|
83.3% | 97% | $9,320 | $22,850 | — |
|
University of California-Riverside
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 61 applied, 53 admitted · admit GPA 3.52–4.13
|
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
11 graduates
|
87% | 88% | $14,304 | $38,942 | $59,677 |
|
California State University-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 36 applied, 32 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
7 graduates
|
88.9% | 92% | $3,967 | $18,403 | — |
|
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 32 applied, 29 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
27 graduates
|
90.6% | 99% | $13,171 | $25,170 | $53,371 |
|
California State University-Fullerton
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Earth Sciences
Fall 2025: 66 applied, 60 admitted
impacted
Geology: 92.3%
|
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other +1
26 graduates
|
90.9% | 87% | $6,555 | $18,269 | $58,891 |
|
California State University-Fresno
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 12 applied, 11 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
2 graduates
|
91.7% | 96% | $7,000 | $20,095 | — |
|
California State University-San Bernardino
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 29 applied, 27 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
15 graduates
|
93.1% | 98% | $4,564 | $17,427 | — |
|
California State University-Northridge
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 30 applied, 28 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
21 graduates
|
93.3% | 93% | $7,021 | $20,485 | — |
|
California State University-Bakersfield
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 19 applied, 18 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
14 graduates
|
94.7% | 88% | $5,652 | $19,522 | $69,989 |
|
California State University-Chico
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 22 applied, 21 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
7 graduates
|
95.5% | 94% | $14,480 | $26,283 | — |
|
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 47 applied, 45 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
19 graduates
|
95.7% | 74% | $11,531 | $23,955 | $73,305 |
|
San Jose State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 25 applied, 24 admitted
impacted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
4 graduates
|
96.0% | 80% | $13,760 | $26,593 | — |
|
California State University-Sacramento
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 35 applied, 34 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
14 graduates
|
97.1% | 94% | $9,338 | $22,945 | $73,418 |
|
California State University-Dominguez Hills
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Earth Sciences
Fall 2025: 36 applied, 35 admitted
|
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other
6 graduates
|
97.2% | 91% | $8,615 | $23,191 | — |
|
San Francisco State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Earth Sciences
Fall 2025: 23 applied, 23 admitted
|
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other
4 graduates
|
100.0% | 96% | $12,278 | $26,488 | — |
|
California State University-Stanislaus
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Geology
Fall 2025: 13 applied, 13 admitted
|
Geology/Earth Science, General
2 graduates
|
100.0% | 98% | $6,067 | $19,739 | — |
|
University of California-Los Angeles
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
12 graduates
|
— | 11% | $12,548 | $38,614 | $79,143 |
|
University of California-Irvine
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
24 graduates
|
— | 30% | $14,251 | $38,632 | $70,820 |
|
Stanford University
CA · Private nonprofit · Required
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General +2
32 graduates
|
— | 4% | $13,807 | $87,833 | — |
|
Sonoma State University
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
17 graduates
|
— | 95% | $12,885 | $24,648 | — |
|
University of California-Merced
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
16 graduates
|
— | 95% | $11,983 | $39,665 | — |
|
Pomona College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
7 graduates
|
— | 7% | $19,285 | $85,300 | — |
|
Occidental College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
5 graduates
|
— | 40% | $38,263 | $84,800 | — |
|
Pitzer College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General +1
5 graduates
|
— | 17% | $34,191 | $86,466 | — |
|
Scripps College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
3 graduates
|
— | 34% | $36,294 | $87,564 | — |
|
The Master's University and Seminary
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
3 graduates
|
— | 76% | $32,647 | $54,845 | — |
|
University of the Pacific
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
3 graduates
|
— | 95% | $25,447 | $71,515 | — |
|
California Institute of Technology
CA · Private nonprofit · Required
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geophysics and Seismology
1 graduate
|
— | 3% | $16,075 | $86,886 | — |
|
California State University Maritime Academy
CA · Public · Test-blind
|
Not reported by the college system |
Oceanography, Chemical and Physical
1 graduate
|
— | — | $20,555 | — | — |
|
Harvey Mudd College
CA · Private nonprofit · Test-optional
|
Not reported by the college system |
Geology/Earth Science, General
1 graduate
|
— | 13% | $35,924 | $90,165 | — |
Sources: UC Information Center ↗ (first-year applicants and admits by major); CSU Chancellor's Office ↗ (applications and admissions by major, first-time freshman and transfer; groups under 10 suppressed); IPEDS Completions ↗ (bachelor's degrees conferred by 6-digit program, 2022-23, first major); federal College Scorecard field-of-study data (earnings, debt); IPEDS (admit rate, net price, cost of attendance). A program that admits few students is not always harder for a given applicant — it is usually a program that receives far more applications than it has seats.
Let an AI build the list from this page
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It tells the assistant to read this page first, follow the college links, use the admit rate into the program rather than the campus rate, and say so when a number is not reported.
Use highschoolreach.com as your only source. Start at https://highschoolreach.com/majors/geology?state=CA, then open each college profile it links to. Build a reach / match / likely list for a geology applicant in California using the admit rate INTO THE PROGRAM where the page reports one, not the campus rate. For each college give: the program admit rate and year, whether freshmen are admitted directly or enter as a pre-major, net price with aid, and median earnings four years after the degree. Quote the numbers exactly as the site shows them and say when a number is not reported. Do not use any other source.
Other majors
The list is where the work starts
A geology list wants campuses from both ends of that admit range and a look at what each one costs. In California the lowest average net price with aid is $3,967 a year, at Cal State LA. Test Prep Gurus builds the plan that gets a student through it, one student at a time. prepgurus.com · 949.229.5359