2023 Best Value Colleges for Biotechnology (Income $0-$30k) in California
8
Ranked Colleges
322
Degrees Awarded
$12,700
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 3,911 people earned their degree in biotechnology, making the major the 174th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, biotechnology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $52,907 and had an average of $20,555 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 322 biotechnology graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,161 and $16,683 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in biotechnology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great biotechnology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the biotechnology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Biotechnology Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 8 Best Value Colleges for Biotechnology (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #1 spot on the list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 50 ’s biotech degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis also took the #1 spot in our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,006 for California Biotech students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Davis.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 93%.
Read more about Biotechnology at University of California - Davis
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly Pomona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $10,349 for california biotech students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal Poly Pomona Biotechnology Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - San Marcos. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biotech degrees to 59 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california biotech students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUSM has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Marcos is $9,397 for California Biotech students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Biotechnology at CSUSM
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biotech degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
Fresno State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $3,859 for california biotech students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.
Full Fresno State Biotechnology Report
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 Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s biotech degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $6,540 for california biotech students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Biotechnology at UC Irvine
California State University - Channel Islands landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 27 ’s biotech degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUCI, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $12,011 for california biotech students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Biotechnology at CSUCI
With a ranking of #7, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biotech degrees to 18 students in 2020-2021.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend USC is $17,287 for california biotech students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 low undergrad 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 Biotechnology at USC
University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Biotech Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #8. USFCA is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
USFCA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Biotechnology Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of San Francisco is $32,023 for California Biotech students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Biotechnology at University of San Francisco
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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
- *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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