1
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA
STARS Platinum
AASHE STARS Platinum; flagship sustainability research and the West Village net-zero community.
Sustainability
Best California Universities for Sustainability (2025)
California universities leading on climate research, campus operations, and sustainability degree pathways — ranked.
The short answer
California is the national bellwether for university sustainability — both in research output (climate, water, energy) and in campus operations (carbon neutrality, LEED, zero waste). The list below ranks California universities using AASHE STARS, Princeton Review Green Honor Roll, and the depth of sustainability degree programs.
Quick answers
- What is AASHE STARS?
- A self-reporting framework that rates campus sustainability across operations, academics, and engagement. Platinum is the highest tier.
- Which UC has the strongest sustainability operations?
- UC Merced — every major building has been LEED-certified since opening, and the campus reached carbon-neutral operations early.
- What's the Princeton Review Green Honor Roll?
- A list of schools earning the highest Green Rating score (99) in the Princeton Review's annual review.
- Do you need a sustainability major to study sustainability?
- No — most schools on this list embed sustainability into engineering, environmental science, policy, and design programs.
The list
- 2
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doerr School of SustainabilityDoerr School of Sustainability — the first new school at Stanford in 70 years.
- 3
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA
Bren SchoolBren School of Environmental Science & Management; strong STARS rating and coastal research.
- 4
University of California, Merced
Merced, CA
LEED-certified campus · Carbon neutralEvery major UC Merced building has earned LEED certification since the campus opened. UC Merced reached carbon-neutral operations early and built climate, water, and energy research into the institution's identity from day one.
- 5
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
ERG + Goldman SchoolEnergy & Resources Group and a deep climate-research portfolio across schools.
- 6
California State University, Chico
Chico, CA
CSU sustainability leaderLong-running campus sustainability program; strong STARS rating among CSUs.
- 7
Pitzer College
Claremont, CA
Liberal-arts leaderLiberal-arts sustainability leader; Robert Redford Conservancy and an early commitment to carbon neutrality.
- 8
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
Urban resilience focusCenter for Urban Resilience and a high STARS rating among private LA universities.
- 9
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
IoESInstitute of the Environment and Sustainability; municipal climate-research partnerships.
- 10
California State University, Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA
Coastal sustainabilityCoastal sustainability and marine science programs paired with strong campus operations.
Why UC Merced earns its place
UC Merced was the first U.S. research university built from the ground up with sustainability as a core operating constraint. Every major building has been LEED-certified since opening, and the campus reached carbon-neutral operations ahead of UC system targets. Climate, water, and applied environmental research are clustered in centers tied directly to Central Valley conditions — drought, agriculture, air quality.
- Every major campus building LEED-certified since opening.
- Carbon-neutral operations achieved early in the UC system's roadmap.
- Climate, water, and energy research centers tied to the Central Valley.
- Sustainability and environmental engineering degree paths inside the School of Engineering.
- NSF, USDA, and DOE funded environmental and water research.
Frequently asked questions
LEED rates individual buildings; AASHE STARS rates the whole institution across operations, academics, and engagement.
On most California sustainability lists, yes — STARS Platinum and broad sustainability research depth keep UC Davis at or near the top.
Yes — through environmental engineering, environmental systems science, and related tracks in the School of Engineering and School of Natural Sciences.
Yes — CSU Chico and CSU Monterey Bay both earn strong sustainability marks and offer degree programs in the area.
STARS reports refresh on a three-year cycle; Princeton Review and Sierra rankings update annually.
How this list was ordered
Rankings weight AASHE STARS rating, Princeton Review Green Honor Roll inclusion, LEED-certified building share, climate/sustainability research funding, and the breadth of sustainability-related degree programs.
Criteria
- AASHE STARS. Platinum/Gold rating preferred.
- Princeton Review Green Rating. Honor Roll (score 99) inclusion.
- LEED-certified buildings. Share of new construction certified at LEED Silver or higher.
- Research funding. NSF, DOE, and state climate/sustainability research dollars.
- Degree programs. Dedicated sustainability, environmental, and climate-policy degree tracks.