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2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

97 Ranked Colleges
11,636 Degrees Awarded
$7,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 102,043 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, general biology is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, general biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $28,233 and had an average of $23,964 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Far Western US region, there were 16,549 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,503 and $21,898 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 11,636 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 97 colleges that offer a degree in general biology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general 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 general biology program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 63 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $1,145 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stanford University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on General Biology at Stanford University

#2

Scripps College

Claremont, California

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 Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. This small school is located in Claremont, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

Scripps did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Scripps College is $7,880 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Scripps General Biology Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 156 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $7,467 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Biology at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

Out of the 97 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 143 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,117 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at California State University - Los Angeles

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 233 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $9,130 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Full University of California - Berkeley General Biology Report

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 110 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,958 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stan State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Stanislaus General Biology Report

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 555 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,254 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

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

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 770 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 UC Irvine General Biology Report

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 167 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,731 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Fresno State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Biology at Fresno State

California State University - Fullerton came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 212 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,100 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about General Biology at Cal State Fullerton

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

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

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 General Biology at CSUDH

#12

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 368 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $11,895 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSB.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSB General Biology Report

California State University - Long Beach landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 247 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

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

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 General Biology Report

#14

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 284 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $10,594 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SDSU.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at San Diego State University

#15

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 543 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCR is $9,151 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Biology at University of California - Riverside

#16

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wazzu is a public institution located in Pullman, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 212 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Washington State University is $11,337 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 General Biology at Washington State University

University of California - Davis came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 341 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Davis has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $10,769 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Davis.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of California - Davis General Biology Report

With a ranking of #18, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 269 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $7,823 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology 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 General Biology Report

University of California - San Diego landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 302 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #11 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,974 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSD.

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 General Biology at UCSD

California State University - Northridge landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 282 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,883 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%.

Read more about General Biology at California State University - Northridge

University of California - Merced ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 287 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Merced is $11,565 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 General Biology at University of California - Merced

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, this large public school handed out 197 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $14,680 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. 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 General Biology at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#23

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Cheney, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 106 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Eastern Washington University is $8,821 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about General Biology at Eastern Washington University

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 76 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUB is $3,880 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on General Biology at California State University - Bakersfield

California State University - East Bay came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 142 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,891 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Full Cal State East Bay General Biology Report

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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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