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by our College Data Analytics Team
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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
General Biology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 107,165 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, general biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,334 and had an average of $23,818 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 17,964 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,914 and $21,104 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 230 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,423 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 20 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general biology. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general biology.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region”.
Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences at City of Hope landed the #2 spot on the list. Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences is a private not-for-profit institution located in Duarte, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Biology at Irell and Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Francisco. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region. UCSF is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 28 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 doctorate’s biology degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #5 spot on the list. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #6. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s biology degrees to 60 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about General Biology at University of California - San Diego
University of Alaska Fairbanks came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Alaska Fairbanks is a public institution located in Fairbanks, Alaska. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Biology at University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Oregon ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region list. UO is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Oregon State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Corvallis, Oregon, this large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s biology students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
University of California - Berkeley came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Berkeley is a large school located in Berkeley, California that handed out 14 doctorate’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a public institution located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 full report on General Biology at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
With a ranking of #12, Portland State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region list. Portland, Oregon is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s biology degrees to 5 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad 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 Portland State University
With a ranking of #13, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about General Biology at University of Southern California
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s biology students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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 General Biology at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%. 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 full report on General Biology at University of California - Los Angeles
Washington State University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region list. Wazzu is a large school located in Pullman, Washington that handed out 4 doctorate’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Riverside ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 3 doctorate’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, 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.
San Diego State University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of Hawaii at Manoa is a public institution located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 140 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, Loma Linda University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Biology Major in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in Loma Linda, California, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
