by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
General Biology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 5th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 107,165 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 52 colleges that offer a degree in general biology. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their general biology program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. 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 colleges and universities below are the best for illinois biology students.
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 Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois. Located in Carlinville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified ’s biology students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Midwestern University - Downers Grove landed the #2 spot on the list. Midwestern University - Downers Grove is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Downers Grove, Illinois. It awarded 103 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about General Biology at Midwestern University - Downers Grove
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Knox College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Knox is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’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. 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%.
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Augustana College landed the #4 spot on the list. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 91 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 52 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #5 spot on the list. Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Bloomington, Illinois. It awarded 32 ’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%.
Illinois College ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Jacksonville, Illinois, and it awarded 21 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Loyola University Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 380 ’s biology degrees to qualified students.
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 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
East-West University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. East - West University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Saint Xavier University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. SXU is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 62 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Roosevelt University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 103 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Greenville University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Greenville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biology degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%. 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.
With a ranking of #12, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 466 diplomas to qualified ’s biology students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Quincy University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. Quincy University is a small school located in Quincy, Illinois that handed out 14 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 162 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville General Biology Report
National University of Health Sciences ranked #15 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. National College of Chiropractic is located in Lombard, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s biology degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate 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 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%.
Read full report on General Biology at National College of Chiropractic
Eastern Illinois University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. EIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 90 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Biology at Eastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 80 degrees to qualified ’s biology students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Biology at Northeastern Illinois University
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 33 ’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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
North Park University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. North Park is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s biology degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Millikin University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. Decatur, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s biology degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate 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.
Lake Forest College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 16 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.
Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #22. Western Illinois University is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Eureka College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking. Eureka College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Eureka, Illinois. It awarded 4 ’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #24, Chicago State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois list. Chicago State University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s biology degrees to qualified students.
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.
Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Biology Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Elmhurst, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified ’s biology students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
