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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology (With Aid)

949 Ranked Colleges
85,887 Degrees Awarded
$7,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

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.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 85,887 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 949 colleges that offered 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Biology Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most 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 For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology (With Aid)

Out of the 949 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 538 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

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%.

Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley General Biology Report

#2

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 545 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UNC Chapel Hill is in the top on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. It costs about $12,352 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Biology at UNC Chapel Hill

Out of the 949 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #3 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 143 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

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%.

Full Cal State LA General Biology Report

Out of the 949 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large public school situated in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It awarded 262 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree biology students with aid list, UW - La Crosse has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at UW - La Crosse

#5

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

Out of the 949 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Berea College landed the #5 spot on the list. Berea College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Berea, Kentucky. It awarded 27 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Berea College is $5,184 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Biology at Berea

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UW Seattle is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 156 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UW Seattle also did well on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $13,297 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend UW Seattle.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at UW Seattle

#7

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $11,496 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Stanford University

#8

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

With a ranking of #8, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 566 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, 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 97%.

Read more about General Biology at UF

Texas A&M International University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas A&M International University is located in Laredo, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 135 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M International University is $3,074 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Full Texas A&M International University General Biology Report

#10

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, New York

Farmingdale State College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. Farmingdale State College is located in Farmingdale, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 81 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Farmingdale State College is $8,638 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Farmingdale State College General Biology Report

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 110 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at California State University - Stanislaus

#12

Baruch College

New York, New York

Baruch College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Baruch College is a fairly large school located in New York, New York that handed out 29 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Baruch is $3,562 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Biology at Baruch College

#13

The City College of New York

New York, New York

The City College of New York came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 248 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CCNY is $2,385 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Read more about General Biology at The City College of New York

#14

Indian River State College

Fort Pierce, Florida

Indian River State College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Indian River State College is a fairly large school located in Fort Pierce, Florida that handed out 38 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indian River State College is $2,003 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Read full report on General Biology at Indian River State College

#15

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. Queens College is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 84 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $3,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full QC General Biology Report

#16

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Institute of Technology landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 35 students in 2019-2020.

MIT also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $16,636 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid per year to attend MIT.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at MIT

#17

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Purdue is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 101 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

Purdue also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at Purdue

Indiana University - Northwest ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Indiana University - Northwest is a small public school situated in Gary, Indiana. It awarded 22 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,755 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid per year to attend IU Northwest.

Read more about General Biology at Indiana University - Northwest

#19

Hunter College

New York, New York

Hunter College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 118 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,490 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend Hunter.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Hunter College General Biology Report

#20

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City State University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Elizabeth City State University is a small school located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina that handed out 23 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend ECSU is $2,350 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Full ECSU General Biology Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 376 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also claimed a top spot on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $17,708 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Biology at UW - Madison

#22

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

With a ranking of #22, Brooklyn College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 120 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $2,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at Brooklyn College

With a ranking of #23, University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. University of South Florida - Main Campus is a large school located in Tampa, Florida that handed out 1,184 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,355 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend USF Tampa.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of South Florida - Main Campus General Biology Report

California State University - Fresno ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 167 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at California State University - Fresno

With a ranking of #25, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $4,215 for bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH General Biology Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#29

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#31

St Petersburg College

Clearwater, Florida
#32

Lehman College

Bronx, New York
#33

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana
#35

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#36

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#37

York College

Jamaica, New York
#39

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Jacksonville, Florida
#40

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
#46

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#48

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#49

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#50

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
52 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
53 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
54 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
55 Dalton State College Dalton, GA
56 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
57 Florida International University Miami, FL
58 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
59 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
60 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
61 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
62 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
63 Truman State University Kirksville, MO
64 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
65 Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA
Rank College Location
66 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
67 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
68 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
69 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
70 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
71 Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, NC
72 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
73 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
74 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
75 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
76 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
77 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
78 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
79 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
80 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
81 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
82 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
82 Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, NY
84 University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH
85 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
85 Southeastern Oklahoma State University Durant, OK
87 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
88 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA
89 University of North Texas Denton, TX
90 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
Rank College Location
91 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
92 East Central University Ada, OK
93 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
94 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
95 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
95 University of Illinois at Springfield Springfield, IL
97 West Virginia University Institute of Technology Beckley, WV
98 Texas A&M University - San Antonio San Antonio, TX
99 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Tifton, GA
100 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
101 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
101 Marshall University Huntington, WV
103 University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI
104 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
105 University of South Carolina - Aiken Aiken, SC
106 University of Houston Houston, TX
106 University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha, WI
108 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
109 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
110 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
111 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
112 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
113 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
114 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
115 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
Rank College Location
116 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
117 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
118 Towson University Towson, MD
119 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
120 Winona State University Winona, MN
121 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
121 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
123 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
124 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
125 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
125 MSU Texas Wichita Falls, TX
127 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
128 Ball State University Muncie, IN
129 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
130 Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA
131 University of North Carolina at Pembroke Pembroke, NC
132 Indiana University - South Bend South Bend, IN
133 Colby College Waterville, ME
134 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
134 SUNY Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY
136 Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Ponce Mercedita, PR
137 University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI
138 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
139 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
140 Augusta University Augusta, GA
Rank College Location
141 Amherst College Amherst, MA
142 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
143 Northeastern State University Tahlequah, OK

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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