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2023 Best Value Colleges for Marine Science

16 Ranked Colleges
334 Degrees Awarded
$16,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Marine Science Schools

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Marine Science Schools” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 334 people earned their degree in marine science, making the major the 295th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, marine science graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $26,266 and had an average of $22,416 in loans still to pay off.

For this year’s “Best Value Marine Science Schools” ranking, we looked at 16 colleges that offer a degree in marine science. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent marine science 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 marine science program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 Marine Science Schools” 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. 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 Marine Science Schools

The colleges and universities below are the best for marine science students.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Marine Science

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Monterey Bay. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Marine Science Schools. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 64 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Marine Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $13,597 for Marine Science students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Monterey Bay Marine Science Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Marine Science Schools. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 15 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Marine Science Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,350 for Marine Science students per year to attend UT Austin.

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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Marine Science at The University of Texas at Austin

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools list. Located in Corpus Christi, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi also made our “Best Marine Science Schools” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $17,203 for Marine Science students per year to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Full Texas A&M Corpus Christi Marine Science Report

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 4 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.

UT Rio Grande Valley also took the #14 spot in our “Best Marine Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,743 for marine science students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Marine Science at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

5
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Marine Science Schools that were part of this year’s ranking, Stony Brook University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Stony Brook, New York, and it awarded 27 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.

SUNY Stony Brook not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Marine Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stony Brook University is $16,119 for Marine Science students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Stony Brook University Marine Science Report

6
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools ranking, coming in at #6. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s marine science degrees to qualified students.

UF also made our “Best Marine Science Schools” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $5,135 for Marine Science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Science at University of Florida

7
FAU crest
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida

Florida Atlantic University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools ranking. Florida Atlantic University is a large public school situated in Boca Raton, Florida. It awarded 11 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.

FAU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Marine Science Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Florida Atlantic University is $10,735 for Marine Science students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.

Read more about Marine Science at FAU

8

With a ranking of #8, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 28 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Marine Science Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $20,677 for marine science students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 94%.

Full Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Marine Science Report

9
NUS Florida crest
Nova Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Nova Southeastern University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Marine Science Schools ranking. Located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NUS Florida, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Marine Science Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Nova Southeastern University is $25,833 for marine science students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Marine Science at NUS Florida

10
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools ranking, coming in at #10. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s marine science degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also made our “Best Marine Science Schools” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,542 for marine science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Marine Science at San Jose State

11
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Marine Science Schools list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s marine science degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

SFSU also made our “Best Marine Science Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $14,459 for Marine Science students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Marine Science at San Francisco State University

12

Hawaii Pacific University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Honolulu, Hawaii, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified ’s marine science students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our marine science students list, Hawaii Pacific University has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Marine Science Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Hawaii Pacific University is $29,484 for marine science students.

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 Marine Science at Hawaii Pacific University

13

University of Maine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools ranking, coming in at #13. Orono, Maine is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s marine science degrees to 63 students in 2020-2021.

UMaine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Marine Science Schools” list. It costs about $16,033 for Marine Science students per year to attend UMaine.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 full report on Marine Science at University of Maine

14

With a ranking of #14, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s marine science degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Marine Science Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $18,919 for Marine Science students per year to attend Texas A&M University - College Station.

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 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Science at Texas A&M University - College Station

15

University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Marine Science Schools list. University of Massachusetts - Boston is a public institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMass Boston did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Marine Science Schools” list. It costs about $17,752 for marine science students per year to attend UMass Boston.

Read more about Marine Science at UMass Boston

16

University of California - Davis ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Marine Science Schools list. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 12 ’s marine science degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also made our “Best Marine Science Schools” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $15,768 for marine science students.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Marine Science at UC Davis

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