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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

150 Ranked Colleges
10,923 Degrees Awarded
$13,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 102,043 general biology students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 12,471 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,353 and $25,097 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 10,923 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 150 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.

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 the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Biology in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school awarded 262 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Biology at UW - La Crosse

#2

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 101 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also took the #8 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Purdue is $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Biology at Purdue University - Main Campus

Out of the 150 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Northwest landed the #3 spot on the list. IU Northwest is a public institution located in Gary, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 22 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Northwest is $7,755 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Read more about General Biology at IU Northwest

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 376 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Biology at UW - Madison

#5

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Out of the 150 schools in the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University Northwest landed the #5 spot on the list. Purdue Northwest is a medium-sized public school situated in Hammond, Indiana. It awarded 76 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid per year to attend Purdue Northwest.

Full Purdue Northwest General Biology Report

#6

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 268 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for IU Bloomington is $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 IU Bloomington

#7

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 89 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid list, UW - River Falls has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - River Falls is $13,748 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Biology at University of Wisconsin - River Falls

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 95 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,463 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Read more about General Biology at UW Oshkosh

With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 409 students in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UIC also did well on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. It costs about $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

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%.

Read full report on General Biology at University of Illinois at Chicago

#10

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UW - Whitewater is in the top on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Read more about General Biology at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#11

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Green Bay is $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Full UW - Green Bay General Biology Report

Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 137 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is $11,285 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Read more about General Biology at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

#13

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UIS is $12,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Read more about General Biology at University of Illinois at Springfield

#14

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 119 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend UW - Eau Claire.

Read more about General Biology at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

#15

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Platteville is a public institution located in Platteville, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 81 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Platteville is also in the top of our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Full UW - Platteville General Biology Report

University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this small public school awarded 56 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Parkside is $11,327 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Read full report on General Biology at University of Wisconsin - Parkside

#17

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 178 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend U-M.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Biology at U-M

#18

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #18, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and it awarded 99 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Full UW - Stevens Point General Biology Report

#19

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 141 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid per year to attend Ball State.

Full Ball State General Biology Report

#20

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Indiana University - South Bend is a public institution located in South Bend, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - South Bend is $8,717 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid.

Read full report on General Biology at Indiana University - South Bend

#21

University of Detroit Mercy

Detroit, Michigan

With a ranking of #21, University of Detroit Mercy did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Detroit Mercy is located in Detroit, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 92 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.

Detroit Mercy also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Detroit Mercy is $18,356 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Detroit Mercy General Biology Report

#22

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. NIU is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 116 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend NIU.

Read full report on General Biology at Northern Illinois University

#23

Indiana University - East

Richmond, Indiana

Indiana University - East landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Richmond, Indiana, this small public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IU East is $7,722 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid.

Full IU East General Biology Report

#24

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,077 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Biology students with aid per year to attend Governors State University.

Read full report on General Biology at Governors State University

#25

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Biology Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s biology degrees to 412 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Michigan State, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree biology students with aid per year to attend Michigan State.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read full report on General Biology at Michigan State

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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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