College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

33 Colleges in Illinois
2,423 Bachelor's Degrees
$27,092 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #4 in popularity, general biology is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 33 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for general biology students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,423 bachelor's degrees in general biology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Biology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois Your choice of general biology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for general biology students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank General Biology Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Biology Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study General Biology in Illinois

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for general biology students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Biology

1
122 Annual Graduates
$24,335 Median Starting Salary
$13,500 Median Student Debt

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general biology. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, biology bachelor's recipients usually earn around $24,335 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from University of Chicago

2
112 Annual Graduates
$19,001 Median Starting Salary
$14,800 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in general biology needs to look into Northwestern University. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the biology program earn an average of $19,001 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Northwestern University

3
452 Annual Graduates
$23,743 Median Starting Salary
$18,000 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Chicago is a great choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in general biology. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago.

After graduation, biology bachelor's recipients generally make about $23,743 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from University of Illinois at Chicago

4
306 Annual Graduates
$22,900 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat Loyola University Chicago if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in general biology. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

After graduating, biology bachelor's recipients usually make around $22,900 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Loyola University Chicago

5
125 Annual Graduates
$31,827 Median Starting Salary
$24,672 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

General Biology bachelor's degree recipients from Illinois State University receive an earnings boost of about $4,735 over the average income of general biology graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Illinois State University

6
Lake Forest crest
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest, IL
16 Annual Graduates
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Lake Forest College

7
83 Annual Graduates
$35,021 Median Starting Salary
$23,630 Median Student Debt

NIU is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

General Biology bachelor's degree recipients from Northern Illinois University get an earnings boost of around $7,929 above the typical income of general biology majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Northern Illinois University

8
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
91 Annual Graduates
$25,342 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Rock Island.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the biology program earn around $25,342 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Augustana College

9
51 Annual Graduates
$28,907 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public university with a large student population.

After graduating, biology bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $28,907 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

10
148 Annual Graduates
$28,532 Median Starting Salary
$22,396 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the biology program report average early career wages of $28,532.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Best General Biology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 2,552
Ohio 252 2,688
Indiana 235 1,522
Wisconsin 213 1,910

View All Rankings >

General Biology is one of 14 different types of Biological & Biomedical Sciences programs to choose from.

Biology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Biology Studies 2,378
General Biomedical Sciences 45

Related Major Annual Graduates
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 518
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 366
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 232
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 165
Zoology 53
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 21
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 19
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 13
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 12
Botany/Plant Biology 6

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options