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2024 Best Colleges for Biology

There are about 296,216 students enrolled in Biology in the USA.

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popularity

Very Popular

Compared to national avg.

Diplomas received last year

101,809

Vs. National Avg.

544%

popularity Rank

#17

cost

Somewhat Affordable

Compared to national avg.

Median degree cost

$26K

Vs. National Avg.

7%

cost Rank

#224

salary

Below Average

Compared to national avg.

Average Salary Two Years Out of School

$41K

Vs. National Avg.

2%

salary Rank

#253

professors

Below Average

Compared to national avg.

Professor Rating

C+

Vs. National Avg.

0%

professors Rank

#251

students

Below Average

Compared to national avg.

Diversity Rating

C+

Vs. National Avg.

1%

students Rank

#236

SUMMARY

A degree in Biology is not only a valuable choice, but usually a needed first step for undergraduates hoping to begin a career as a biological scientist, a scintillant bioscientist, or a research and development biologist. Interestingly, biology is a very popular major choice, ranking as the 7th most popular area of study. Last year, there were 82,869 biology graduates. In-state tuition for biology at private universities is, on average, 3.7 times more costly than their public counterparts.

With a staggering 1399 universities offering this degree chances are that any universities you are excited about will have a degree program for you. If you're hoping to immerse yourself with other biology majors, consider universities in California which have more undergraduates admitted to biology than any other state. Zooming out, the best region to pursue biology is in the Southeast region with University of Central Florida, Florida International University, and University of South Florida-Main Campus best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick for the top conference to study biology is the Southeastern Conference with University of Florida, University of Georgia, and Texas A & M University-College Station representing the conference. That being said, our selection for the best university for biology is Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You may also want to check out our list of the best colleges.

The best school does not have to be the 'best' school for every student. There are a bunch more factors to consider when selecting institution. Features like campus amenities, transportation services, and food would definitely sway one's thoughts of where to go to university. Here at authority.org, we have examined the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you are interested in which biology school is home to the best campus, the answer is Stanford University. If you are mostly interested in which college has the finest campus, then we have a whole page dedicated to that. We have carefully pored through government databases, professor reviews, student reviews, and more so we can compare every U.S. major in an unbiased and informative way. Here you can find our well researched list for the universities with the best student life&nbspand our choice of the college with the best student life for biology is Cornell University. Are you curious why? Keep reading to discover more about our top choices. Many of our picks will probably surprise you.

If price is a primary influence in your choice of where you attend university, you might consider avoiding Columbia University in the City of New York. Columbia University in the City of New York&nbspis our most expensive university for biology, at least regarding out of state attendance. That being said, we have an entire page for the most expensive&nbspuniversities that might put the expense at Columbia University in the City of New York&nbspinto perspective. You may also care to know that biology is the 29th most expensive major in the US, with an average bill of $52,500. To zoom out a little, the most costly state for biology nationally is Vermont with costs at the main three universities Middlebury College, Saint Michael's College, and University of Vermont of $55,790, $45,050, and $45,050 respectively. To zoom out even further, the most expensive region for biology is the New England region which is best demonstrated with Amherst College with a cost of $57,640, Tufts University with a cost of $57,324, and Brown University with a cost of $57,112.

Our cheapest region for biology is the Southwest region which is represented by Eastern New Mexico University-Main Campus with a cost of $5,994, Oklahoma Panhandle State University with a cost of $4,440, and The University of Texas of the Permian Basin with a cost of $5,767. On the bright side, the most affordable university for biology is University of South Florida-Main Campus. Our full list of the most affordable colleges can be explored here.

In-state attendees can anticipate paying around $9,500 for a degree in biology. That price swells significantly to an average of $21,300 for an out-of-state public-school student. As such, you might be interested in our selection for the university representing the best value for biology: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Here you can find our comprehensive list on the universities we believe to be the best value&nbspin general. With that said, this list is predicated on being an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when it comes to in-state tuition, but we do not know in which states any one student has residency.

Earnings for biology students differ widely, but two-years after completing the major graduates will regularly make in the neighborhood of $37,100. While there is a lot of variation in earnings potential; top earners can rake in up to $77,700. Straight out of college, the lowest earning jobs within the biology field earn $17,000, which isn't that bad. The highest earning graduates for biology attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology&nbspand if you are looking for universities with all of the highest earning graduates, we have that too.

The overall diversity of biology ranks very high, ranking within the 96th percentile of all programs. The school with the most composite diversity for biology is Massachusetts Institute of Technology&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list for the schools which have the most diversity. The financial diversity of Biology ranks only within the 42nd percentile compared to all other majors. Racial diversity is actually greater, ranking in the 94th percentile. White students make up the largest proportion, 45%, of students majoring in biology. Additionally, 63% of students pursuing a biology major are women.

The median ranking for biology's professors is 4 stars, a score which is actually the average across every major; which is a fine. If you are curious about the most popular biology professor in the nation, consider looking up Jane Monaco at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It may surprise you, but the top rated instructors for biology according to students come from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. If we incorporate data other than just rankings we find that the university possessing the best professors for biology is Massachusetts Institute of Technology. You will find more detail on our ever evolving ranking methodology of the best overall professors here, along with some of the finest professors in the country.

Finally, the hardest school to get into for biology is Stanford University. While we are unsure why you would be interested, we have a detailed page of the hardest colleges to get into. That being said, here at Authority we do hope you understand that approaching higher education with a perspective primarily formed from superlatives might cause problems. We hope you read our more focused pages on different colleges and read a few of our helpful background pages on essential details to look for as you continue your school search.

Top 25 Best Colleges for Biology

Search for the best Biology colleges according to your filter parameters.

A+

Rating

#1 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA | www.harvard.edu/

5%

Acceptance

41,024

Students

#3

Ranking

$54K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#2 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Stanford University

Stanford, CA | www.stanford.edu/

5%

Acceptance

20,961

Students

#2

Ranking

$56K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#3 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Yale University

New Haven, CT | https://www.yale.edu/

7%

Acceptance

14,910

Students

#8

Ranking

$58K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#4 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Duke University

Durham, NC | www.duke.edu/

8%

Acceptance

17,855

Students

#6

Ranking

$58K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#5 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD | www.jhu.edu/

11%

Acceptance

34,250

Students

#4

Ranking

$54K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#6 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO | www.wustl.edu/

16%

Acceptance

17,893

Students

#18

Ranking

$57K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#7 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA | www.upenn.edu/

9%

Acceptance

30,688

Students

#7

Ranking

$60K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#8 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN | www.vanderbilt.edu/

12%

Acceptance

13,918

Students

#17

Ranking

$54K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#9 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA | web.mit.edu/

7%

Acceptance

12,195

Students

#1

Ranking

$53K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#10 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Rice University

Houston, TX | www.rice.edu/

11%

Acceptance

8,005

Students

#22

Ranking

$51K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#11 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Brown University

Providence, RI | www.brown.edu/

8%

Acceptance

10,807

Students

#13

Ranking

$61K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#12 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Princeton University

Princeton, NJ | www.princeton.edu/

6%

Acceptance

8,532

Students

#5

Ranking

$49K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#13 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, CA | www.caltech.edu/

7%

Acceptance

2,319

Students

#9

Ranking

$57K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#14 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL | www.northwestern.edu/

9%

Acceptance

25,870

Students

#12

Ranking

$59K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#15 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH | www.dartmouth.edu/

9%

Acceptance

7,171

Students

#15

Ranking

$60K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#16 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Georgetown University

Washington, DC | www.georgetown.edu/

17%

Acceptance

22,720

Students

#19

Ranking

$58K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#17 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY | www.columbia.edu/

7%

Acceptance

33,882

Students

#10

Ranking

$62K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#18 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY | www.cornell.edu/

11%

Acceptance

24,594

Students

#14

Ranking

$59K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#19 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA | www.usc.edu/

16%

Acceptance

52,376

Students

#28

Ranking

$60K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#20 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL | www.uchicago.edu/

7%

Acceptance

20,413

Students

#11

Ranking

$61K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#21 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI | https://umich.edu/

26%

Acceptance

49,530

Students

#33

Ranking

$52K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#22 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, ME | https://www.bowdoin.edu/

9%

Acceptance

1,973

Students

#41

Ranking

$56K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#23 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

University of California-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA | www.ucla.edu/

14%

Acceptance

46,947

Students

#50

Ranking

$43K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#24 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

Emory University

Atlanta, GA | www.emory.edu/

19%

Acceptance

15,970

Students

#24

Ranking

$54K

Tuition

A+

Rating

#25 2024 Best Colleges for Biology

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN | www.nd.edu/

19%

Acceptance

13,268

Students

#16

Ranking

$58K

Tuition

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