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

97 Ranked Colleges
11,636 Degrees Awarded
$12,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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” 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.

This year’s “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 97 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general biology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general biology programs and 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 general biology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

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

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology in the Far Western US Region

Out of the 97 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Hawaii landed the #1 spot on the list. Brigham Young University - Hawaii is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Laie, Hawaii. It awarded 29 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Brigham Young University - Hawaii is $14,051 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students.

Read more about General Biology at Brigham Young University - Hawaii

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Stanislaus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school handed out 110 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $6,019 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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 low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Monterey Bay. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. CSUMB is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at CSUMB

Out of the 97 schools in the Best Value Biology 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 #4 spot on the list. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students per year to attend CSULB.

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

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

#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

Out of the 97 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Francisco State University landed the #5 spot on the list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 329 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend San Francisco State University is $15,113 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students.

Full SFSU General Biology Report

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #6. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 167 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students per year to attend Fresno State.

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%. 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 California State University - Fresno

California State University - East Bay ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 142 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

Read more about General Biology at California State University - East Bay

#8

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 154 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students list, San Jose State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read full report on General Biology at San Jose State University

California State University - Channel Islands did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Camarillo, California, and it awarded 129 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUCI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Channel Islands is $13,558 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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%.

Full CSUCI General Biology Report

California State University - San Marcos 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 ranking. California State University - San Marcos is a fairly large school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 175 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,399 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

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%.

Read full report on General Biology at California State University - San Marcos

#11

Nevada State College

Henderson, Nevada

Nevada State College landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Henderson, Nevada, and it awarded 35 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,915 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students per year to attend Nevada State College.

Read more about General Biology at Nevada State College

California State University - Northridge landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 282 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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

California State University - Sacramento ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 269 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,979 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students per year to attend Sac State.

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 Sac State

With a ranking of #14, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 218 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about General Biology at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Chico is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 69 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,017 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students per year to attend Chico State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at California State University - Chico

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 197 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo General Biology Report

#17

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #17. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 284 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students per year to attend San Diego State University.

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

Read more about General Biology at San Diego State University

With a ranking of #18, University of Nevada - Reno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Nevada - Reno is a large school located in Reno, Nevada that handed out 193 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Reno is $15,081 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

Read full report on General Biology at UNR

#19

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. SSU is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 88 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Sonoma State University is $17,478 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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%.

Read full report on General Biology at SSU

With a ranking of #20, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 212 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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 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%.

Read more about General Biology at Cal State Fullerton

University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #21. Las Vegas, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 210 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,424 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students per year to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas.

Read more about General Biology at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 143 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,768 for far western us region bachelor’s degree biology students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at Cal State LA

#23

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school awarded 212 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Wazzu is $16,358 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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 Washington State University General Biology Report

#24

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

With a ranking of #24, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Western Washington University is $16,529 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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%.

Read full report on General Biology at WWU

#25

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #25. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 152 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students.

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

Read full report on General Biology at California State University - San Bernardino

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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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