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2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

38 Ranked Colleges
2,474 Degrees Awarded
$13,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 102,043 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, general biology is the 5th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, general biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $28,233 and had an average of $23,964 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,863 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,700 and $25,592 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,474 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 38 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general biology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general biology programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general biology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Biology Schools

The biology school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k”.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 147 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $2,712 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UChicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on General Biology at UChicago

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 91 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Northwestern General Biology Report

#22 in overall quality

Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC General Biology Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 134 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #17 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $8,055 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SIUE.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville General Biology Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 409 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #7 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $10,648 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at UIC

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 116 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,281 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read more about General Biology at Northern Illinois University

#7

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

Saint Xavier University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k list, SXU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Saint Xavier University is $11,266 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Biology at Saint Xavier University

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

UIS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $9,771 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIS.

Read full report on General Biology at UIS

#9

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for GSU is $10,872 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full GSU General Biology Report

#10

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 117 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,470 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois State University.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Illinois State

#11

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,350 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Read more about General Biology at Eastern Illinois University

#12

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 78 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Illinois University is $13,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Biology at WIU

#13

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of St Francis is located in Joliet, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

University of Saint Francis also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $15,847 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Saint Francis.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of St Francis General Biology Report

#14

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Aurora, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

Aurora also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora is $14,103 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at Aurora

#15

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Jacksonville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

Illinois College also took the #25 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $11,376 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois College.

Full Illinois College General Biology Report

#16

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

With a ranking of #16, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on General Biology at Wheaton College Illinois

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 49 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $13,658 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#18

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Augustana is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 99 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Augustana, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $20,355 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at Augustana College

#19

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $16,903 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Elmhurst

#20

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lake Forest, Illinois. It awarded 24 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $18,192 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at Lake Forest

#21

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Millikin is a private not-for-profit institution located in Decatur, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Millikin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Millikin is $17,656 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on General Biology at Millikin University

#22

Blackburn College

Carlinville, Illinois

With a ranking of #22, Blackburn College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Carlinville, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,812 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Blackburn.

Read more about General Biology at Blackburn College

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 87 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $14,816 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Biology at Northeastern Illinois University

#24

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

With a ranking of #24, Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,570 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on General Biology at Illinois Wesleyan University

#25

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Knox College is $16,828 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Knox

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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