Compare Schools
Side-by-side rankings across key dimensions. Click any column header to sort. Ratings use a 5-point scale.
Tier Rankings
For undergraduate marine biology specifically — not general university prestige.
Tier 1 No-brainer if admitted and affordable
- UC San Diego / Scripps — Best overall marine science institution; unmatched facilities, ships, and NOAA connections
- University of Washington — Best for fisheries + marine ecology combination; Friday Harbor; NOAA co-location
- James Cook University — Best for coral reef biology; Great Barrier Reef access is irreplaceable
- Oregon State University — Best value: world-class program at public tuition; Hatfield multi-agency campus
- UC Santa Barbara — Best campus-ocean integration; PISCO, Channel Islands, NCEAS
Tier 1.5 Exceptional but with caveats
- Stanford/Hopkins — Extraordinary faculty and Monterey Bay location, but small program and ultra-competitive admission
- Duke Marine Lab — Excellent marine lab, but split between Durham campus and Beaufort coast
- UC Santa Cruz — Outstanding marine mammals and kelp forest research; Monterey Bay; NOAA on campus
- University of Hawai'i Manoa — Unmatched tropical Pacific access; HIMB; but cost of living is high
- University of British Columbia — Daniel Pauly, Sea Around Us, gorgeous Pacific coast; expensive for international students
Tier 2 Outstanding programs with specific strengths
- University of Miami / Rosenstiel — Best for subtropical marine science; coral restoration; NOAA CIMAS
- Cornell — Lab of Ornithology is unmatched for wildlife biology; Shoals Marine Lab
- UC Davis — Best for wildlife biology broadly; Bodega Marine Lab; Wildlife Health Center
- University of Florida — Best in-state value for Florida residents; Whitney Lab; huge wildlife ecology program
- St Andrews — Best for marine mammal bioacoustics; SMRU; gorgeous Scottish coast
- Dalhousie — Boris Worm, Ocean Tracking Network; Atlantic Canada; affordable
- University of Queensland — Heron Island; Ove Hoegh-Guldberg; less focused than JCU for marine
Tier 2.5 Strong programs, often great value
- Stony Brook — Ellen Pikitch, Heather Lynch; SUNY pricing is unbeatable
- Texas A&M Galveston — Dedicated marine campus; Gulf of Mexico; affordable
- College of Charleston — NOAA co-location at Fort Johnson; dedicated marine bio major
- University of Maine — Lobster ecology, Gulf of Maine; affordable
- UNCW — Dedicated marine biology; Center for Marine Science; very affordable
- University of Bergen — FREE tuition; IMR partnership; Norwegian fjords and Arctic access
Special Mentions
- MIT/WHOI — Not recommended for traditional marine biology undergrad, but excellent for ocean engineering/technology-focused students
- Oxford/Cambridge — Outstanding for general biology/evolution but not optimal for marine biology specifically
- CSUMB — Best bargain in marine science for California residents; Monterey Bay location; Moss Landing access
- NUS Singapore — Growing program in the heart of the Coral Triangle; good for tropical marine careers in Asia
Comparison Matrix
Click any column header to sort. Stars: 5 = exceptional, 4 = very strong, 3 = strong, 2 = good, 1 = present but limited.
Tier 1: Elite Research Ecosystems
| Dimension | Scripps / UCSD | Stanford Hopkins | MIT / WHOI | Duke Marine Lab | UC Santa Barbara |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty Strength | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Gov't Pipeline | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Industry Connections | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Undergrad Research | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Unique Facilities | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Ecosystem Access | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Financial Aid (OOS) | ★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★ |
| Selectivity | Moderate (~30%) | Very High (~4%) | Very High (~4%) | Very High (~6%) | Moderate (~26%) |
Tier 2: Outstanding Programs
| Dimension | UW (Baseline) | Oregon State | Miami Rosenstiel | UC Santa Cruz | UH Manoa | Cornell/Shoals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty Strength | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Gov't Pipeline | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Industry Connections | ★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Undergrad Research | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Unique Facilities | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Ecosystem Access | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Financial Aid (OOS) | ★★★★★ (in-state!) | ★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Selectivity | Moderate (~50%) | Easy-Moderate (~82%) | Moderate (~33%) | Moderate (~47%) | Easy-Moderate (~58%) | Very High (~8%) |
International Programs
| Dimension | James Cook (AUS) | St Andrews (UK) | UBC (Canada) | Oxford/Cambridge | Dalhousie (CA) | Bergen (Norway) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty Strength | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Gov't Pipeline | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| Ecosystem Access | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Undergrad Research | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
| US Student Friendliness | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★ |
| Cost for US Students | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★★★ (FREE!) |
| Selectivity | Easy-Moderate | Moderate (8-10%) | Moderate (~50%) | Very High (15-20%) | Moderate | Moderate |
Decision Framework: Which School Is Best For What?
Click an interest area to highlight the recommended schools, or browse the full table.
| If Her Priority Is... | Top Picks |
|---|---|
| Coral reef / tropical marine biology | James Cook (AUS), UH Manoa, Miami Rosenstiel, Scripps/UCSD |
| Marine mammals | St Andrews (UK), UC Santa Cruz, Duke, UW |
| Fisheries science / management | UW (SAFS), Oregon State, UBC, Dalhousie |
| Conservation technology / AI + biology | Stanford, MIT, Duke, Scripps/UCSD |
| Government career pipeline (NOAA/USFWS) | Oregon State (agencies on-site!), UW, Duke, Scripps/UCSD |
| Pacific NW ecology (stay close to home) | UW (baseline), Oregon State, UBC |
| Hands-on field experience from day one | James Cook, Cornell/Shoals, Oregon State, Duke Marine Lab |
| Undergraduate research access | Duke (Rachel Carson Scholars), Stanford (HI-SURF), UCSB, UCSC |
| Prestige + marine biology | Stanford, MIT/WHOI, Duke, Oxford/Cambridge |
| Best value (in-state / affordable) | UW (in-state!), Oregon State, Bergen (free!), Dalhousie |
| International experience | James Cook, St Andrews, UBC, Bergen |
| Wildlife biology (terrestrial + marine) | UC Davis, Cornell, UF, UW, Oregon State |
| Marine policy / environmental law | Duke, Stanford, UCSB (Bren School), UBC |
| Strongest overall marine biology ecosystem | Scripps/UCSD, Stanford Hopkins, UW, Duke Marine Lab |
| Maximum career optionality + marine bio | Cornell (Shoals), Brown (MBL), Yale (field stations) |
Key Takeaway
University of Washington is genuinely one of the top 5–10 marine biology programs in the world. SAFS + Friday Harbor Labs + NOAA NWFSC in Seattle + the Puget Sound/San Juan Islands ecosystem make it an exceptional choice — and she'd pay in-state tuition. Any school she chooses over UW should offer something UW cannot: a specific faculty member, a specific ecosystem (tropical reefs, Great Barrier Reef), or a specific program structure (small class size, island-based learning). UW is not a "safety" — it's a legitimate best-in-class option.