by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 374 people earned their degree in marine science, making the major the 295th most popular in the United States. In , marine science graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $26,266 and had an average of $22,075 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major” ranking, we looked at 28 colleges that offer a degree in marine science. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in marine science.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Micronesia-FSM. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. COM-FSM is a small school located in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia that handed out 13 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Monterey Bay. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 85 diplomas to qualified ’s marine science students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Out of the 28 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Maine landed the #3 spot on the list. UMaine is located in Orono, Maine and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 83 ’s marine science degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 28 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, American Samoa Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Pago Pago, American Samoa, this small public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s marine science students in 2021-2022.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hawaii Pacific University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. Hawaii Pacific University is a small school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 9 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Marine Science at Hawaii Pacific University
Cape Fear Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. Cape Fear Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Wilmington, North Carolina. It awarded 11 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
With a ranking of #7, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s marine science students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Marine Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Stony Brook University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. SUNY Stony Brook is a large school located in Stony Brook, New York that handed out 16 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking, coming in at #9. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is a public institution located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Marine Science at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified ’s marine science students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Science at University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
With a ranking of #11, University of Florida did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 18 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Florida Atlantic University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Located in Boca Raton, Florida, this large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s marine science students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Marine Science at Florida Atlantic University
University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking, coming in at #13. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s marine science degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Davis ranked #14 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 9 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Marine Science Report
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 15 ’s marine science degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Report
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. This large school is located in College Station, Texas, and it awarded 13 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Nova Southeastern University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Nova Southeastern University is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 ’s marine science degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%.
San Francisco State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified ’s marine science students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
San Jose State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 ’s marine science degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Marine Science at San Jose State University
Maine Maritime Academy did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking, coming in at #21. Maine Maritime Academy is a small public school situated in Castine, Maine. It awarded 2 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #21, The College of the Florida Keys did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. The College of the Florida Keys is a small public school situated in Key West, Florida. It awarded 6 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
With a ranking of #21, Eckerd College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. Eckerd is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Petersburg, Florida. It awarded 0 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 1 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking, coming in at #21. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 0 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
University of Alaska Fairbanks ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. UAF is a medium-sized public school situated in Fairbanks, Alaska. It awarded 0 ’s marine science degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad 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%.
University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. UMass Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Lake Superior State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Sault Ste Marie, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s marine science degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Marine Science at Lake Superior State University
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
