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

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

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking analyzed 12 colleges that offered 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 in the Far Western US Region”.

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. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

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

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

#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Hawaii. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. BYU - H is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Laie, Hawaii. It awarded 9 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

BYU - H also took the #11 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,051 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students per year to attend BYU - H.

Read more about Marine Biology at Brigham Young University - Hawaii

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the #2 spot on the list. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.

CSULB also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #6. It costs about $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students per year to attend CSULB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Marine Biology Report

#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Hawaii at Hilo. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. This small school is located in Hilo, Hawaii, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UH Hilo also took the #12 spot in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UH Hilo is $13,885 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students.

Full UH Hilo Marine Biology Report

#4

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#7 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Washington University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Bellingham, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to 20 students 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 Western Washington University is $16,529 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students.

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 Western Washington University

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students list, UW Seattle has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national 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.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Marine Biology Report

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, University of Hawaii at Manoa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this fairly large public school handed out 33 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological oceanography students in 2019-2020.

UH Manoa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 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 Manoa is $15,030 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students.

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

#7

Hawaii Pacific University

Honolulu, Hawaii
#10 in overall quality

Hawaii Pacific University 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 ranking. This small school is located in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students list, Hawaii Pacific University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Hawaii Pacific University is $27,508 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students.

Read full report on Marine Biology at Hawaii Pacific University

#8

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#8 in overall quality

University of Oregon landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students list, UO has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students per year to attend University of Oregon.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Oregon Marine Biology Report

#9

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students 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 University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Marine Biology at UCLA

#2 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $14,232 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biological Oceanography students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#4 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Santa Cruz, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $18,186 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The 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.

Read more about Marine Biology at University of California - Santa Cruz

#12

University of San Diego

San Diego, California
#5 in overall quality

University of San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Oceanography Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s biological oceanography degrees in 2019-2020.

USD also made our “Best Marine Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend University of San Diego is $32,460 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biological oceanography students.

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%.

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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