Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Biology Studies (Income $30-$48k) in California

59 Ranked Colleges
8,604 Degrees Awarded
$8,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 91,804 biology studies students received their degree, making the major the 6th most popular in the country.

Across California, there were 12,835 biology studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,604 biology studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 59 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in biology studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great biology studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the biology studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

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

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

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biological sciences degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Biology Studies at Stanford

#2

Scripps College

Claremont, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Scripps College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Scripps did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Scripps is $7,880 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Biology Studies at Scripps

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Cal State LA Biology Studies Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 233 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,130 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Biology Studies at University of California - Berkeley

Out of the 59 schools in the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Stanislaus landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 110 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biological sciences students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,958 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Biology Studies at California State University - Stanislaus

#6

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological sciences degrees to 555 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,254 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 more about Biology Studies at University of California - Los Angeles

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 770 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,373 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UC Irvine.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Biology Studies at UC Irvine

California State University - Fresno landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 167 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,731 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Biology Studies at California State University - Fresno

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 212 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

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 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Fullerton Biology Studies Report

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Carson, California, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $3,115 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Biology Studies at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#11

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 368 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSB has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $11,895 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

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 91%.

Read full report on Biology Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Biology Studies at CSULB

#13

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#18 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 284 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU also made our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $10,594 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full San Diego State University Biology Studies Report

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 543 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $9,151 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences 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. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Biology Studies at University of California - Riverside

#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 341 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,769 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Biology Studies at University of California - Davis

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 269 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Sac State has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Sacramento Biology Studies Report

#10 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 302 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological sciences students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Biology Studies at UCSD

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 282 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUN is $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Biology Studies at California State University - Northridge

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Merced came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Merced, California, this medium-sized public school awarded 287 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological sciences students in 2019-2020.

UC Merced also made our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Merced is $11,565 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Biology Studies at UC Merced

#7 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 197 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biological sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Biology Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological sciences degrees to 76 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUB is $3,880 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full California State University - Bakersfield Biology Studies Report

#25 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Hayward, California, and it awarded 142 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State East Bay is $8,891 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Cal State East Bay Biology Studies Report

#23

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#19 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological sciences degrees to 329 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SFSU, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Biology Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $12,517 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Biology Studies at SFSU

#24

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biological sciences degrees to 152 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,869 for california bachelor’s degree biological sciences students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Biology Studies at CSUSB

With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biological Sciences Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. CSUSM is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 175 bachelors’s biological sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $10,347 for California Bachelor’s Degree Biological Sciences 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%.

Read full report on Biology Studies at CSUSM

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

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.

Featured Biology Schools

Find Schools Near You