Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

12 Ranked Colleges
346 Degrees Awarded
$12,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 1,914 people earned their degree in marine biology, making the major the 288th most popular in the United States.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 411 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 346 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in marine biology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent marine biology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the marine biology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Marine Biology Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Marine Biology (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $8,553 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Biology at University of California - Los Angeles

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also took the #3 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $7,850 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Marine Biology at UW Seattle

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 31 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #6 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $6,364 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Marine Biology Report

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,280 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full UCSD Marine Biology Report

#5

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,872 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Marine Biology at University of California - Santa Cruz

#6

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#7 in overall quality

Western Washington University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

WWU also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend WWU is $9,743 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Biology at WWU

#9 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Manoa came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,986 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Marine Biology at University of Hawaii at Manoa

#12 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Hilo came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Hilo, Hawaii, this small public school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

UH Hilo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $12,045 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Read more about Marine Biology at University of Hawaii at Hilo

#11 in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Hawaii ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Brigham Young University - Hawaii is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Laie, Hawaii. It awarded 9 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k list, BYU - H has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BYU - H is $9,863 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Brigham Young University - Hawaii Marine Biology Report

#10

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#8 in overall quality

University of Oregon landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Oregon is a large school located in Eugene, Oregon that handed out 10 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UO also took the #8 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oregon is $12,690 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Oregon Marine Biology Report

#11

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

University of San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in San Diego, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

USD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend USD is $22,263 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full USD Marine Biology Report

#12

Hawaii Pacific University

Honolulu, Hawaii
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, Hawaii Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Honolulu, Hawaii is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

Hawaii Pacific University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $23,845 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Hawaii Pacific University.

Read full report on Marine Biology at Hawaii Pacific University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

Featured Biology Schools

Find Schools Near You