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Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region

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2023 Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

91 Colleges
$19,217 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$28,914 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Biology School for You

With 107,165 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, general biology is the #5 most popular major in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 91 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for biology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value General Biology Colleges.

Top 15% Best General Biology Schools

#1

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA
$8,512 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named San Diego Mesa College the best value school in the Far Western US Region for general biology students. San Diego Mesa College is a large public school located in the large city of San Diego.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $8,512 per year. After completing their degree, biology graduates from San Diego Mesa College carry an average student debtload of $6,973.

Read full report on General Biology at San Diego Mesa College

#2

San Diego City College

San Diego, CA
$8,512 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at San Diego City College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general biology schools in the Far Western US Region . San Diego City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego City College are $8,512 per year. On average, biology graduates from San Diego City College take out $9,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full General Biology at San Diego City College Report

#3

Reedley College

Reedley, CA
$8,504 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 91 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Reedley College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the town of Reedley, Reedley College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Reedley College are $8,504 per year. After completing their degree, biology graduates from Reedley College carry an average student debtload of $5,500.

Read full report on General Biology at Reedley College

#4

San Diego Miramar College

San Diego, CA
$8,512 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Diego Miramar College is a great value for general biology students. Located in the city of San Diego, San Diego Miramar College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Miramar College are $8,512 per year. Biology majors at San Diego Miramar College take out an average of $5,606 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on General Biology at San Diego Miramar College

Out of the 91 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jose State are $19,732 per year.

San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on General Biology at San Jose State University

California State University - Channel Islands landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general biology programs. CSUCI is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Camarillo.

CSUCI undergraduate students pay an average of $18,697 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that biology majors at CSUCI take out is $19,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $374, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on General Biology at California State University - Channel Islands

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$19,184 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general biology students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $19,184 per year. On average, biology graduates from SFSU take out $17,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on General Biology at San Francisco State University

$18,875 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, California State University - East Bay did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general biology students. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal State East Bay are $18,875 a year. While working on their degree, biology majors at Cal State East Bay accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.

Read full report on General Biology at California State University - East Bay

$19,272 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for general biology students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sac State are $19,272 per year. While working on their degree, biology majors at Sac State accumulate an average of around $16,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $121, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full General Biology at California State University - Sacramento Report

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
$20,016 Average Tuition & Fees

San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SDSU are $20,016 per year. The average amount in student loans that biology majors at SDSU take out is $19,999. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $330.

Full General Biology at San Diego State University Report

$19,524 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Stanislaus landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value general biology programs. Stan State is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Turlock.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Stan State are $19,524 per year. After completing their degree, biology graduates from Stan State carry an average student debtload of $16,000.

Full General Biology at California State University - Stanislaus Report

$19,098 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUMB are $19,098 per year. On average, biology graduates from CSUMB take out $16,969 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $339.

Read More…

$19,607 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - San Marcos ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSM are $19,607 per year. After completing their degree, biology graduates from CSUSM carry an average student debtload of $25,000.

Full General Biology at California State University - San Marcos Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value General Biology Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
14 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
15 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
16 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
17 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
18 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA

Best General Biology Colleges by State

Explore the best general biology schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 14,026
Washington 1,675
Oregon 969
Nevada 561
Hawaii 253
Alaska 98

General Biology is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 14,535
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 11,615
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 8,813
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 7,247
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 6,206

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.

  • 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 the rest 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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