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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Marine Biology in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

12 Ranked Colleges
346 Degrees Awarded
$17,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” 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.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 411 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 346 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 12 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Marine Biology Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Marine Biology in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students with aid.

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%.

Full UW Seattle Marine Biology Report

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 23 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students with aid list, UCLA has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Biology at UCLA

#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #6 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students with aid.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Marine Biology at California State University - Long Beach

#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $14,232 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Marine Biology at UCSD

#5

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. 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%.

Read more about Marine Biology at UC Santa Cruz

#9 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a fairly large school located in Honolulu, Hawaii that handed out 33 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UH Manoa is $15,030 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UH Manoa Marine Biology Report

#11 in overall quality

Brigham Young University - Hawaii came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Laie, Hawaii, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

BYU - H also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $14,051 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students with aid per year to attend Brigham Young University - Hawaii.

Full BYU - H Marine Biology Report

#12 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Hilo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. UH Hilo is a small public school situated in Hilo, Hawaii. It awarded 27 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Hilo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Hawaii at Hilo is $13,885 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students with aid.

Full University of Hawaii at Hilo Marine Biology Report

#9

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid 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.

WWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $16,529 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Marine Biology at WWU

#10

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#8 in overall quality

University of Oregon landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Eugene, Oregon, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UO also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for UO is $16,461 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UO Marine Biology Report

#11

Hawaii Pacific University

Honolulu, Hawaii
#10 in overall quality

Hawaii Pacific University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Honolulu, Hawaii is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.

Hawaii Pacific University also took the #10 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $27,508 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students with aid per year to attend Hawaii Pacific University.

Full Hawaii Pacific University Marine Biology Report

#12

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

University of San Diego ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students with aid list, USD has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of San Diego is $32,460 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Marine Biology at University of San Diego

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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

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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