2023 Best Value Colleges for Marine Biology (Income $0-$30k) in California
7
Ranked Colleges
239
Degrees Awarded
$10,900
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
Marine Biology is the 298th most popular major in the country with 1,835 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across California, there were 239 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in marine biology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great marine biology programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the marine biology program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Marine Biology Schools
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 “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.
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. 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.
Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 7 Best Value Colleges for Marine Biology (Income $0-$30k) in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 10 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,037 for california biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCLA.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Marine Biology at UCLA
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 121 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD also made our “Best Marine Biology Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for California Biological Oceanography 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 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%.
Full UCSD Marine Biology Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 72 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,038 for california biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UC Santa Cruz Marine Biology Report
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Santa Barbara is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,568 for california biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, 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%.
Read more about Marine Biology at UCSB
Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the list. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also made our “Best Marine Biology Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $17,287 for California Biological Oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full USC Marine Biology Report
California State University - Long Beach came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 25 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSULB has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSULB is $6,663 for California Biological Oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 2.4% 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 Marine Biology at CSULB
San Jose State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $12,158 for california biological oceanography students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Jose State University Marine Biology Report
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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.
Credits
college factual
