by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major” 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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major” ranking analyzed 98 colleges that offered a degree in marine biology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular marine biology programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major” 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for biological oceanography students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Coastal Carolina University. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major. Coastal Carolina University is a fairly large public school situated in Conway, South Carolina. It awarded 129 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 98 schools in the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 121 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M University - College Station. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major. Texas A&M College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 118 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Read full report on Marine Biology at Texas A&M University - College Station
Out of the 98 schools in the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Wilmington landed the #4 spot on the list. UNCW is a fairly large school located in Wilmington, North Carolina that handed out 98 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
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 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Marine Biology Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eckerd College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. Eckerd is located in Saint Petersburg, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 76 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 72 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Marine Biology Report
University of South Carolina - Columbia landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. This large school is located in Columbia, South Carolina, and it awarded 68 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. 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%.
Read more about Marine Biology at University of South Carolina - Columbia
University of Miami ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. U Miami is located in Coral Gables, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 65 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, 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 91%.
With a ranking of #9, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. This fairly large school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 53 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
The University of Tampa came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Stony Brook University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. This large school is located in Stony Brook, New York, and it awarded 52 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 full report on Marine Biology at Stony Brook University
With a ranking of #12, Nova Southeastern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 49 degrees to qualified ’s biological oceanography students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Savannah State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. Savannah, Georgia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #14, Roger Williams University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. Bristol, Rhode Island is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 35 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
University of Delaware came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. This large school is located in Newark, Delaware, and it awarded 35 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #16, The University of West Florida did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. The University of West Florida is a public institution located in Pensacola, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 33 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Marine Biology at The University of West Florida
Northeastern University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 full report on Marine Biology at Northeastern University
University of New Haven ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. University of New Haven is a medium-sized school located in West Haven, Connecticut that handed out 32 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Stockton University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking, coming in at #18. Galloway, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.
University of Southern Mississippi did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, this fairly large public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified ’s biological oceanography students in 2020-2021.
College of Charleston did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking, coming in at #21. C of C is a fairly large school located in Charleston, South Carolina that handed out 29 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hawaii Pacific University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. Hawaii Pacific University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Honolulu, Hawaii. It awarded 28 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
University of Hawaii at Hilo landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major ranking. UH Hilo is a small public school situated in Hilo, Hawaii. It awarded 27 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, University of Rhode Island did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biological Oceanography Major list. Located in Kingston, Rhode Island, this fairly large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified ’s biological oceanography students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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 85%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
