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2023 Best Marine Biology Colleges for Veterans in California

7 Ranked Colleges
239 Degrees Awarded
$36,100 Avg Cost*
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography

With all of the options veterans 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 “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 1,835 people earned their degree in marine biology, making the major the 298th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 239 marine biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography” ranking, we looked at 7 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 offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the marine biology program at the school, veteran affordability, and veteran satisfaction. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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More Biological Oceanography Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography”.

Top 7 Best Marine Biology Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s biological oceanography degrees to qualified students.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 46,287 students enrolled at University of Southern California, 1,311 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,487. To help with additional expenses, 388 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of Southern California does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

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2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 121 diplomas to qualified ’s biological oceanography students in 2020-2021.

UCSD also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].According to our most recent data, University of California - San Diego supports 39,576 students, and 112 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 54 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s biological oceanography students in 2020-2021.

UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 44,589 students enrolled at UCLA were GI Bill® students, of which 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,071. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Veteran Student Life Report

4

Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 2 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.

UCSB also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 26,179 students enrolled at University of California - Santa Barbara, 286 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,510. In addition to receiving other benefits, 3 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of California - Santa Barbara offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UCSB]](/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara/student-life/veterans/)

5

Out of the 7 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #5 spot on the list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s biological oceanography degrees to 72 students in 2020-2021.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 19,161 students enrolled at UC Santa Cruz, 273 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 114 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $8,631. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Veteran Student Life Report

6

California State University - Long Beach ranked #6 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, California State University - Long Beach supports 40,069 students, and 822 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 310 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full CSULB Veteran Student Life Report

7
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Biological Oceanography ranking. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 6 ’s biological oceanography degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, San Jose State University supports 36,208 students, and 660 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 384 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

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Notes and References

References

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