by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 107,165 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, general biology is the 5th most popular major in the United States. 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.
At the associate degree level specifically, there were 8,474 general biology graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,806 and $19,336 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate” ranking looked at 372 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general biology. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular general biology programs in the United States.
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 “Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for associate degree biology students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Houston Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 549 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 372 schools in the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Bakersfield College landed the #2 spot on the list. Bakersfield College is a large school located in Bakersfield, California that handed out 274 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Fresno City College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. Fresno City College is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 272 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 372 schools in the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate that were part of this year’s ranking, Long Beach City College landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 270 diplomas to qualified associates’s biology students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Clovis Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. Clovis Community College is a medium-sized public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 187 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
South Texas College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking, coming in at #6. South Texas College is a large school located in McAllen, Texas that handed out 181 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Utah Valley University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. UVU is a public institution located in Orem, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 175 associates’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Blinn College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. Blinn College is a fairly large school located in Brenham, Texas that handed out 168 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Reedley College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking, coming in at #9. This medium-sized school is located in Reedley, California, and it awarded 155 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
San Bernardino Valley College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. San Bernardino Valley College is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 142 associates’s biology degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on General Biology at San Bernardino Valley College
Yuba College landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. Yuba College is a medium-sized public school situated in Marysville, California. It awarded 126 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
El Paso Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking, coming in at #12. El Paso Community College is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 123 associates’s biology degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on General Biology at El Paso Community College
San Diego Mesa College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 121 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Chabot College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s biology degrees to 119 students in 2020-2021.
Diablo Valley College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. Diablo Valley is a fairly large public school situated in Pleasant Hill, California. It awarded 114 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Kingsborough Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking, coming in at #16. Kingsborough Community College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 110 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
San Diego City College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. San Diego City College is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 107 associates’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #18, Sierra College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. Sierra College is a fairly large public school situated in Rocklin, California. It awarded 102 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #19, Austin Community College District did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s biology degrees to 100 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Biology at Austin Community College District
Mission College ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. Mission College is a medium-sized public school situated in Santa Clara, California. It awarded 94 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Texas State Technical College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking, coming in at #21. Waco, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associates’s biology degrees to 93 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #22, Santa Barbara City College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this fairly large public school handed out 85 diplomas to qualified associates’s biology students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Biology at Santa Barbara City College
Cumberland County College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. Located in Vineland, New Jersey, this small public school handed out 83 diplomas to qualified associates’s biology students in 2020-2021.
Read more about General Biology at Cumberland County College
Napa Valley College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking, coming in at #24. Napa Valley College is a small school located in Napa, California that handed out 82 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Copiah-Lincoln Community College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate ranking. Copiah-Lincoln Community College is a small school located in Wesson, Mississippi that handed out 82 associates’s biology degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on General Biology at Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Laney College ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Biology Major for an Associate list. Laney College is located in Oakland, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 82 associates’s biology degrees to qualified students.
Not only did these schools make the top 52 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | Bunker Hill Community College | Boston, MA |
| 54 | Foothill College | Los Altos Hills, CA |
| 54 | College of Southern Nevada | Las Vegas, NV |
| 54 | Cascadia College | Bothell, WA |
| 54 | Monterey Peninsula College | Monterey, CA |
| 54 | Saddleback College | Mission Viejo, CA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
