by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 107,165 general biology students received their degree, making the major the 5th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, general biology graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $28,334 and had an average of $23,818 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 2,868 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,289 and $25,427 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,423 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,117 and $25,584 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 50 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general biology. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in general biology.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois”.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Blackburn College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois. Located in Carlinville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Knox College. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois. Located in Galesburg, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Augustana College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 91 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois Wesleyan University. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois. This small school is located in Bloomington, Illinois, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Located in Jacksonville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
East-West University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. East - West University is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 4 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Biology at East - West University
With a ranking of #7, Saint Xavier University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. SXU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 62 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Greenville University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Located in Greenville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 306 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, 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 85%.
Read full report on General Biology at Loyola University Chicago
Quincy University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 452 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad 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%.
National University of Health Sciences landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. National University of Health Sciences is located in Lombard, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on General Biology at National University of Health Sciences
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 148 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.
Read more about General Biology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
With a ranking of #14, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 71 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Biology at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #15, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
North Park University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad 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%.
With a ranking of #17, Millikin University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, Eureka College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Eureka College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Eureka, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Eastern Illinois University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 49 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.
Chicago State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. CSU is a small public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 13 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on General Biology at Chicago State University
With a ranking of #22, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
McKendree University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. McKendree is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 17 bachelors’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Western Illinois University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 54 bachelors’s biology degrees to qualified students.
Monmouth College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Monmouth, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s biology students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 undergraduate 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.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
