2025 Best Marine Biology Schools
46
Colleges in the United States
1,994
Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
A degree in
marine biology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #298 out of 1506 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 46 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for marine biology students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,994 degrees in marine biology annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Marine Biology School
The biological oceanography program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Marine Biology rankings. We derive our Best Overall Marine Biology School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Marine Biology Degree Level
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 the Best Marine Biology Schools.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Marine Biology in the United States
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the biological oceanography degree levels they offer.
10 Top Schools in Biological Oceanography
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In WA
49
Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
University of Washington - Seattle Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in marine biology. UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.
There were about 49 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in marine biology from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In TX
125
Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in marine biology. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.
There were roughly 125 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in marine biology from Texas A&M University - College Station
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MA
It's hard to beat Boston University if you wish to pursue a degree in marine biology. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.
There were roughly 11 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in marine biology from Boston University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
66
Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
Every student who is interested in marine biology has to look into University of California - Santa Cruz. Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.
There were roughly 66 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in marine biology from University of California - Santa Cruz
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 16 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in marine biology from University of California - Los Angeles
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
154
Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were about 154 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in marine biology from University of California - San Diego
UGA is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 9 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in marine biology from University of Georgia
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In DE
Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #96 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UD is a great university overall.
There were roughly 29 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in marine biology from University of Delaware
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In NY
45
Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
SUNY Stony Brook is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Stony Brook. This university ranks 14th out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
There were roughly 45 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at SUNY Stony Brook in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in marine biology from Stony Brook University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In SC
60
Biological Oceanography Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #99 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 60 marine biology students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in marine biology from University of South Carolina - Columbia
