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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

38 Ranked Colleges
2,474 Degrees Awarded
$27,700 Avg Salary
Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Biology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 102,043 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.

For this year’s “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 38 colleges that offer a degree in general biology. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general biology programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general biology program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Biology Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 147 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago also took the #1 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $7,934 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 100%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full UChicago General Biology Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 91 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Northwestern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $6,452 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Northwestern

Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #3 spot on the list. 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 $11,857 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Illinois at Springfield.

Read full report on General Biology at UIS

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 409 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,683 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UIC.

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

#22 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. UIUC 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $13,351 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Biology Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 116 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

NIU also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $18,346 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Full NIU General Biology Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 134 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,705 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Read full report on General Biology at SIUE

#8

Saint Xavier University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

SXU also made our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $14,907 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SXU.

Read more about General Biology at Saint Xavier University

#9

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend EIU is $13,560 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Eastern Illinois University General Biology Report

#10

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This small school is located in Joliet, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,220 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k 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%.

Read full report on General Biology at University of St Francis

#11

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Aurora, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

Aurora also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $15,881 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Aurora University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Aurora University General Biology Report

#12

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

Wheaton College Illinois also took the #5 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $19,691 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about General Biology at Wheaton College Illinois

#13

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 99 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Augustana has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana College is $21,453 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Biology at Augustana College

#14

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. GSU is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $11,872 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about General Biology at Governors State University

#15

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 78 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k list, WIU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $15,912 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Western Illinois University General Biology Report

#16

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 117 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

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 $19,080 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Illinois State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State General Biology Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $14,985 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend SIUC.

Full SIUC General Biology Report

#18

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Quincy University is a small school located in Quincy, Illinois that handed out 25 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Quincy U is $16,717 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Quincy U General Biology Report

#19

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #19. Elmhurst, 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.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $19,703 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Elmhurst

#20

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Millikin is $20,390 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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.

Full Millikin University General Biology Report

#21

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois

Lake Forest College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Lake Forest College is a small school located in Lake Forest, Illinois that handed out 24 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Lake Forest College is $24,683 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 full report on General Biology at Lake Forest College

#22

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #22. 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 yearly cost to attend Knox College is $19,653 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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%. 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.

Full Knox General Biology Report

#23

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $14,942 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Illinois College General Biology Report

Northeastern Illinois University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 87 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northeastern Illinois University is $18,180 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Biology students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on General Biology at Northeastern Illinois University

#25

Blackburn College

Carlinville, Illinois

Blackburn College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k list. Blackburn is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Carlinville, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,444 for illinois bachelor’s degree biology students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Blackburn College.

Full Blackburn General Biology Report

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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