2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Marine Science School for You
In 2020-2021, 334 people earned a degree or certificate in marine science, making the major the #299 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Marine Science Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in the United States to see which programs offered the best value experiences for marine science 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.
Top 10 Best Marine Science Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Monterey Bay the best value school in the United States for marine science students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
CSUMB undergraduate students pay an average of $19,098 in tuition and fees each year. On average, marine science graduates from CSUMB take out $17,832 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Marine Science at California State University - Monterey Bay
Request Information
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Marine Science Schools list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 15% of our Best Marine Science Schools ranking.
Request Information
The excellent programs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best marine science schools in the United States. UT Rio Grande Valley is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Edinburg.
UT Rio Grande Valley undergraduate students pay an average of $19,333 in tuition and fees each year.
Read full report on Marine Science at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Request Information
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is a great value for marine science students. Located in the city of Corpus Christi, Texas A&M Corpus Christi is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Texas A&M Corpus Christi are $20,745 per year.
Read full report on Marine Science at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Request Information
Out of the 17 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the # 5 spot on the list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.
UT Austin undergraduate students pay an average of $40,996 in tuition and fees each year.
UT Austin excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Marine Science Schools list.
Request Information
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value marine science programs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $28,105 a year.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Marine Science Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Marine Science at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Request Information
Stony Brook University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Marine Science Schools list. SUNY Stony Brook is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Stony Brook.
SUNY Stony Brook undergraduate students pay an average of $28,375 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Marine Science at Stony Brook University Report
Request Information
Florida Atlantic University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Marine Science Schools list. FAU is a very large public school located in the small city of Boca Raton.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at FAU are $17,324 per year.
Read full report on Marine Science at Florida Atlantic University
Request Information
Nova Southeastern University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Marine Science Schools list. Located in the suburb of Fort Lauderdale, NUS Florida is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NUS Florida are $34,570 a year.
Full Marine Science at Nova Southeastern University Report
Request Information
San Francisco State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value marine science programs. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $19,184 per year.
Read full report on Marine Science at San Francisco State University
Request InformationMarine Science by Region
View the Best Value Marine Science Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Marine Science Rankings
Marine Science Related Majors for Marine Science
One of 44 majors within the area of study, marine science has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Marine Science
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 34,975 |
| Biological & Physical Science | 30,075 |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 9,074 |
| International Studies | 7,368 |
| Nutrition Science | 5,330 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 17 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Daderot.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© 2025 Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.