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2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

60 Ranked Colleges
1,558 Degrees Awarded
$11,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 1,914 people earned their degree in marine biology, making the major the 288th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,558 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 60 colleges that offer a degree in marine biology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent marine biology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the marine 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.

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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Marine Biology (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern is $12,823 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Read more about Marine Biology at Northeastern University

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Marine Biology at University of California - Los Angeles

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $7,467 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Seattle.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Marine Biology at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Out of the 60 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,473 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Marine Biology Report

#5

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of West Florida. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Pensacola, Florida, this fairly large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,912 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UWF.

Read more about Marine Biology at UWF

#6

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

Boston University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston U, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Boston University is $13,256 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.

Full Boston U Marine Biology Report

Florida International University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Miami, Florida, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $6,683 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Marine Biology at FIU

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $7,595 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSULB Marine Biology Report

#4 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 76 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,974 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Biology at UCSD

#11 in overall quality

University of Puerto Rico - Humacao came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Humacao, is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

UPR Humacao also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for University of Puerto Rico - Humacao is $10,424 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Marine Biology at UPR Humacao

#11

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 106 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also took the #6 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - College Station is $13,270 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 full report on Marine Biology at Texas A&M University - College Station

#12

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#9 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large school located in Santa Cruz, California that handed out 61 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $11,793 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Cruz.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 Biology at University of California - Santa Cruz

#13

Hampton University

Hampton, Virginia
#10 in overall quality

Hampton University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Hampton, Virginia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Hampton, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Hampton University is $25,609 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Hampton Marine Biology Report

#14

Coastal Carolina University

Conway, South Carolina

Coastal Carolina University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Coastal Carolina University is a fairly large school located in Conway, South Carolina that handed out 132 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Coastal Carolina University is $12,933 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Coastal Carolina University Marine Biology Report

#15

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 20 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Western Washington University is $11,228 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full WWU Marine Biology Report

#16

Waynesburg University

Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, Waynesburg University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Waynesburg is a small school located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania that handed out 6 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

Waynesburg also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Waynesburg University is $14,808 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Biology at Waynesburg University

Northwest Missouri State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Maryville, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northwest is $9,863 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Northwest Missouri State University Marine Biology Report

#18

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, New York
#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stony Brook University is a large school located in Stony Brook, New York that handed out 49 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SUNY Stony Brook, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stony Brook University is $12,993 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 90%.

Read more about Marine Biology at SUNY Stony Brook

#19

Savannah State University

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Savannah State University is a small public school situated in Savannah, Georgia. It awarded 6 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,425 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Savannah State University.

Full Savannah State University Marine Biology Report

Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. FDU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Teaneck, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for FDU is $13,409 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full FDU Marine Biology Report

#21

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, Rhode Island

University of Rhode Island ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Kingston, Rhode Island is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Rhode Island is $15,509 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Marine Biology at University of Rhode Island

#22

University of Connecticut

Storrs, Connecticut
#12 in overall quality

University of Connecticut landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Storrs, Connecticut, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCONN has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCONN is $14,157 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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 University of Connecticut Marine Biology Report

#23

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Wilmington, North Carolina
#24 in overall quality

University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNCW is a public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNCW did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $14,415 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNCW.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Biology at UNCW

#24

Montclair State University

Montclair, New Jersey

With a ranking of #24, Montclair State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Montclair, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,913 for Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Montclair State University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 full report on Marine Biology at Montclair State

Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bayamon, . The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon is $8,385 for bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 Biology at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Bayamon

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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