2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
General Biology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 102,043 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, general biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $28,233 and had an average of $23,964 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 13,086 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,318 and $21,623 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,719 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 59 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general biology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general biology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general biology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $-1,387 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 233 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $8,392 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about General Biology at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 143 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $1,379 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Stanislaus landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Turlock, California, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stan State.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about General Biology at California State University - Stanislaus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 770 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 General Biology at University of California - Irvine
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 555 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 more about General Biology at University of California - Los Angeles
California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 167 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 General Biology at California State University - Fresno
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 212 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $4,291 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, 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 89%.
Full California State University - Fullerton General Biology Report
With a ranking of #9, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 284 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SDSU.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 89%.
Read more about General Biology at San Diego State University
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 368 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,455 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Riverside, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 543 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - Davis came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 341 students in 2019-2020.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,842 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Biology at University of California - Davis
California State University - Long Beach came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read more about General Biology at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 302 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - San Diego.
The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 269 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.
Sac State also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #23. It costs about $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Biology at California State University - Sacramento
With a ranking of #17, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 282 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Northridge General Biology Report
University of California - Merced ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 287 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Merced also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Merced is $10,782 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Full University of California - Merced General Biology Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 197 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on General Biology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
With a ranking of #20, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Bakersfield, California, this fairly large public school awarded 76 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,423 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUB.
Full California State University - Bakersfield General Biology Report
San Francisco State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 329 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
SFSU also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $11,123 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 142 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 218 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 87%.
California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 175 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSM.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 152 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
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Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
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General Biology students with family income $48-$75k in California
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Biology (Income $30-$48k) in California
General Biology students with family income $30-$48k in California
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for General Biology (Income $75-$110k) in California
General Biology students with family income $75-$110k in California
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.
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