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2021 Best General Biology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

516 Colleges
87,613 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,347 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best General Biology Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best General Biology Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsGeneral Biology is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 4th of all the majors we analyze. In <nil>, 87,613 bachelor's degrees were awarded to students with this major.

This year's Best General Biology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 516 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in biology. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general biology programs, but they also offer a lot of support to non-traditional students.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as affordability, and overall quality of the general biology program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 the Best Biology Schools for Non-Traditional Students.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

2021 Best General Biology Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for non-traditional students studying biology.

Top 25 General Biology Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1

California State University - East Bay tops the 2021 list of our schools in the United States that are best for non-traditional general biology students. Located in the large suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.3%. 7,069 students at Cal State East Bay are exclusively online. There are roughly 3,650 part time students in attendance at Cal State East Bay.

Full General Biology at California State University - East Bay Report

2
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA

Drexel University landed the #2 spot in our 2021 best general biology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, Drexel is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for General Biology list.

About 0.9% of Drexel students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 6,249 students at Drexel that take at least one class online. About 5,829 of the students at Drexel are attending part time.

Full General Biology at Drexel University Report

3

San Jose State University comes in at #3 in this year's ranking. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose. San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for General Biology list. It's in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. There are approximately 19,939 students at San Jose State that take at least one class online. 9,800 students are part time.

Read More…

4

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities comes in at #4 in this year's ranking. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public college with a fairly large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UMN Twin Cities also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for General Biology ranking.

About 0.6% of UMN Twin Cities students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 21,237 students take at least one class online at UMN Twin Cities. There are roughly 13,655 part time students in attendance at UMN Twin Cities.

Read full report on General Biology at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

5
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

The #5 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Temple University. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public school with a very large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Temple also did well on our Best Colleges for General Biology list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The student loan default rate at Temple is lower than is typical, just 1.3% of students default in three years. There are approximately 20,264 students at Temple that take at least one class online. 4,634 of Temple students are attending part time.

Read full report on General Biology at Temple University

6

University of the Pacific landed the #6 spot in our 2021 best general biology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the city of Stockton, Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our Best Colleges for General Biology list.

The student loan default rate at Pacific is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. 747 of Pacific students are attending part time.

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7

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our Best Colleges for General Biology list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. There are approximately 6,990 students at UNC Chapel Hill that take at least one class online. About 5,151 of the students at UNC Chapel Hill are attending part time.

Read full report on General Biology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

8

George Mason University landed the #8 spot in our 2021 best general biology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a very large student population. GMU also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for General Biology list. It's in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 21,490 students take at least one class online at GMU. There are roughly 12,712 part time students in attendance at GMU.

Full General Biology at George Mason University Report

9

The #9 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Columbia University in the City of New York. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. Columbia not only placed well in our non-traditional rankings. It is also #3 on our Best Colleges for General Biology list.

About 0.9% of Columbia students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 6,172 students take at least one class online at Columbia. There are roughly 4,854 part time students in attendance at Columbia.

Read More…

10

The #10 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Northeastern University. Located in the city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. Northeastern also took the #6 spot in our Best Colleges for General Biology rankings.

The student loan default rate at Northeastern is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. Approximately 7,987 students take at least one class online at Northeastern. About 1,267 of the students at Northeastern are attending part time.

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11

Rutgers University - New Brunswick earned the #11 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public school with a very large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rutgers New Brunswick also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for General Biology ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.1%. Approximately 30,054 students take at least one class online at Rutgers New Brunswick. 7,559 of Rutgers New Brunswick students are attending part time.

Full General Biology at Rutgers University - New Brunswick Report

12

West Chester University of Pennsylvania earned the #12 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a large student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, WCUPA also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for General Biology ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.2%. Approximately 4,464 students take at least one class online at WCUPA. 3,854 of WCUPA students are attending part time.

Read full report on General Biology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

13

Texas A&M University - College Station earned the #13 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the midsize city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public college with a very large student population. Texas A&M College Station also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for General Biology list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. There are approximately 24,343 students at Texas A&M College Station that take at least one class online. About 9,943 of the students at Texas A&M College Station are attending part time.

Full General Biology at Texas A&M University - College Station Report

14

The #14 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of California - San Diego. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population. UCSD excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for General Biology list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.6%. Approximately 21,222 students take at least one class online at UCSD. About 1,605 of the students at UCSD are attending part time.

Read More…

15

The #15 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of New Hampshire - Main Campus. Located in the suburb of Durham, UNH is a public school with a fairly large student population. UNH excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for General Biology list.

The student loan default rate at UNH is lower than is typical, just 1.0% of students default in three years. There are approximately 3,625 students at UNH that take at least one class online. About 1,355 of the students at UNH are attending part time.

Read full report on General Biology at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus

16

The #16 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Cornell University. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cornell also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for General Biology ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.4%. Approximately 2,837 students take at least one class online at Cornell. About 574 of the students at Cornell are attending part time.

Full General Biology at Cornell University Report

17

University of Detroit Mercy earned the #17 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the large city of Detroit, Detroit Mercy is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Detroit Mercy also did well on our Best Colleges for General Biology list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 3,161 students take at least one class online at Detroit Mercy. There are roughly 1,321 part time students in attendance at Detroit Mercy.

Read full report on General Biology at University of Detroit Mercy

18

The #18 spot in this year's ranking belongs to San Diego State University. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a fairly large student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, SDSU also did well on our Best Colleges for General Biology list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 1.1% of SDSU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. Approximately 21,657 students take at least one class online at SDSU. 5,452 students are part time.

Read full report on General Biology at San Diego State University

19

The #19 spot in this year's ranking belongs to Saint Cloud State University. St. Cloud State University is a large public school located in the small city of Saint Cloud.

The student loan default rate at St. Cloud State University is lower than is typical, just 1.5% of students default in three years. Approximately 3,952 students take at least one class online at St. Cloud State University. About 5,106 of the students at St. Cloud State University are attending part time.

Read full report on General Biology at Saint Cloud State University

20

Our rankings recognize Florida Atlantic University as the #20 school in this year's rankings. FAU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Boca Raton.

The student loan default rate at FAU is lower than is typical, just 1.4% of students default in three years. There are approximately 14,436 students at FAU that take at least one class online. 11,860 students are part time.

Read More…

21

Winona State University earned the #21 spot in our 2021 rankings. Winona State is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.1%. Approximately 2,776 students take at least one class online at Winona State. 1,337 students are part time.

Read More…

22
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ

Rowan University landed the #22 spot in our 2021 best general biology schools for non-traditional students. Located in the suburb of Glassboro, Rowan is a public school with a large student population.

The student loan default rate at Rowan is lower than is typical, just 1.9% of students default in three years. Approximately 7,269 students take at least one class online at Rowan. About 3,878 of the students at Rowan are attending part time.

Read More…

23

Our rankings recognize San Francisco State University as the #23 school in this year's rankings. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a very large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.8%. 14,003 of SFSU students are exclusively distance learners. There are roughly 6,034 part time students in attendance at SFSU.

Read full report on General Biology at San Francisco State University

24

University of Illinois at Chicago comes in at #24 in this year's ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public school with a very large student population. UIC excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for General Biology list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.7%. There are approximately 19,768 students at UIC that take at least one class online. 5,712 of UIC students are attending part time.

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

25

Our rankings recognize George Washington University as the #25 school in this year's rankings. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, GWU is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for General Biology list.

About 0.4% of GWU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 5,340 students at GWU are exclusively online. 8,798 students are part time.

Read full report on General Biology at George Washington University

Rest of the Top 50 Schools for Best General Biology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

26
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
27
28
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
29
30
31
32

33
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

34
35
36
37
SSU crest
Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA
38
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
39
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL
40
41

42
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA

43
44
45
46
47
48
49
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
50

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best General Biology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 516 different United States general biology schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Fort Hays State University Hays, KS
52 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
53 University of Delaware Newark, DE
54 Illinois State University Normal, IL
55 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
56 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
57 Morningside College Sioux City, IA
58 Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL
59 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
60 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
61 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
62 Neumann University Aston, PA
63 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
64 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
65 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
66 Towson University Towson, MD
67 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
68 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
69 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
70 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
71 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ
72 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
73 New York University New York, NY
74 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
75 Clemson University Clemson, SC
76 Emory University Atlanta, GA
77 Kean University Union, NJ

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best General Biology Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
78 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
79 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
80 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
81 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
82 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
83 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
84 Washington State University Pullman, WA
85 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
86 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
87 University of North Texas Denton, TX
88 Boston University Boston, MA
89 Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA
90 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
91 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
92 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
93 California University of Pennsylvania California, PA
94 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
95 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
96 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
97 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
98 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
99 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
100 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
101 Emmanuel College Massachusetts Boston, MA
102 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
103 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA

General Biology by Region

View the best for non-traditional students General Biology colleges in a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

One of 14 majors within the Biological & Biomedical Sciences area of study, General Biology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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