2026 Best Value Marine Biology Schools in the The Plains States Region
[Marine Biology](/majors/biological-biomedical-sciences/ecology-evolution-systematics-population-biology/marine-biology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for marine biology students.
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2026 Best Value Marine Biology Schools in the The Plains States Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in marine biology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Marine Biology Schools
Leading the list is Northwest Missouri State University, our #1 best value for marine biology in the The Plains States Region. Located in the town of Maryville, Northwest Missouri State University is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $10,611, compared with $17,324 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $23,585 to complete the marine biology program here. Marine Biology graduates of Northwest Missouri State University earn a median of $42,939 early in their careers. Set against $23,585 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 86% of applicants are accepted.
Narrow Marine Biology Schools by State
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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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