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 has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Marine Science is the 295th most popular major in the country with 334 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, marine science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $26,266 and had an average of $22,416 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in marine science. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their marine science program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for marine science students.
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. Located in Pohnpei, , this small public school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Marine Science at College of Micronesia-FSM
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. CSUMB is located in Seaside, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 ’s marine science 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%.
Read more about Marine Science at California State University - Monterey Bay
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. This fairly large school is located in Orono, Maine, and it awarded 63 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Samoa Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. ASCC is a small public school situated in PagoPago, . It awarded 2 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Marine Science at American Samoa Community College
Out of the 28 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Hawaii Pacific University landed the #5 spot on the list. Hawaii Pacific University is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s marine science degrees to qualified students.
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 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. Located in Wilmington, North Carolina, this fairly large public school handed out 24 degrees to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.
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. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 28 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Marine Science Report
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 27 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is a fairly large public school situated in Corpus Christi, Texas. It awarded 6 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Marine Science at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. This medium-sized school is located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and it awarded 3 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Florida ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school handed out 23 degrees to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Florida Atlantic University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Boca Raton, Florida, and it awarded 11 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Marine Science at Florida Atlantic University
University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. University of Massachusetts - Boston is a fairly large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 5 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Marine Science at University of Massachusetts - Boston
University of California - Davis landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 12 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
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 a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 15 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 more about Marine Science at The University of Texas at Austin
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s marine science degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Marine Science at Texas A&M University - College Station
Nova Southeastern University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified ’s marine science 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%.
Read more about Marine Science at Nova Southeastern University
San Francisco State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees 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%.
San Jose State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 3 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Maine Maritime Academy came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Maine Maritime is located in Castine, Maine and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 ’s marine science degrees to qualified students.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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. This small school is located in Key West, Florida, and it awarded 0 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Marine Science at The College of the Florida Keys
With a ranking of #21, Eckerd College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. Eckerd College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Petersburg, Florida. It awarded 0 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Western Washington University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 0 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 0 degrees to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.
Full California State University - Stanislaus Marine Science Report
University of Alaska Fairbanks ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major list. University of Alaska Fairbanks is a public institution located in Fairbanks, Alaska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Marine Science at University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Massachusetts Amherst came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the 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 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
Lake Superior State University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Marine Science Major ranking. Lake Superior State University is a small school located in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan that handed out 0 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Marine Science at Lake Superior State University
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