2023 Best Value Colleges for Marine Biology (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
14
Ranked Colleges
429
Degrees Awarded
$12,300
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,835 people earned their degree in marine biology, making the major the 298th most popular in the United States.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 429 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 14 colleges that offer a degree in marine biology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great marine biology programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Marine Biology Schools
The biological oceanography school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 14 Best Value Colleges for Marine Biology (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified ’s biological oceanography students in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $6,399 for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 full report on Marine Biology at UW Seattle
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,891 for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCLA.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Marine Biology at University of California - Los Angeles
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 121 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,176 for Far Western US Region Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Marine Biology at University of California - San Diego
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Cruz. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 72 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $12,049 for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Full UC Santa Cruz Marine Biology Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.
CSULB also made our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $7,573 for Far Western US Region Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full California State University - Long Beach Marine Biology Report
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $11,606 for Far Western US Region Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Marine Biology at UCSB
With a ranking of #7, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 2 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,345 for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Southern California.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Marine Biology at USC
University of Hawaii at Manoa ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Hawaii at Manoa is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 53 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k list, UH Manoa has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Manoa is $12,172 for Far Western US Region Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Marine Biology at UH Manoa
San Jose State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 6 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $13,378 for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad 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 San Jose State University
University of Alaska Fairbanks did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. UAF is a medium-sized school located in Fairbanks, Alaska that handed out 5 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
UAF also made our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for University of Alaska Fairbanks is $9,093 for Far Western US Region Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Marine Biology at University of Alaska Fairbanks
Western Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 20 diplomas to qualified ’s biological oceanography students in 2020-2021.
WWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,357 for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WWU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Marine Biology at WWU
With a ranking of #12, University of Oregon did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Eugene, Oregon, and it awarded 17 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
UO also took the #11 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UO is $13,709 for far western us region biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UO Marine Biology Report
University of Hawaii at Hilo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. University of Hawaii at Hilo is a public institution located in Hilo, Hawaii. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UH Hilo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Hawaii at Hilo is $11,633 for Far Western US Region Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full UH Hilo Marine Biology Report
Hawaii Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Honolulu, Hawaii is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hawaii Pacific University, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $25,254 for Far Western US Region Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Hawaii Pacific University.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Marine Biology at Hawaii Pacific University
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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
- *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
