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2024 Best General Biology Schools in Virginia

25 Colleges in Virginia
3,513 Biology Degrees Awarded
$28,417 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in general biology, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #5 most popular program in the country. 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 25 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for general biology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 3,513 degrees in general biology to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Biology School

Best General Biology Schools in Virginia The biology program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Biology rankings. For our Best Overall General Biology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

General Biology Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Biology
Master's Degrees in Biology
Doctor's Degrees in Biology

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Biology Schools in Virginia ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for General Biology in Virginia

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the biology degree levels they offer.

10 Top Virginia Schools in Biology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
351 Biology Degrees Awarded
16.5% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Virginia - Main Campus if you want to pursue a degree in general biology. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #33 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were roughly 351 general biology students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program make an average of $23,465 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in general biology from University of Virginia - Main Campus

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
335 Biology Degrees Awarded
$22,263 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Tech is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in general biology. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were about 335 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the biology program make around $22,263 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general biology from Virginia Tech

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
426 Biology Degrees Awarded
4.9% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat George Mason University if you wish to pursue a degree in general biology. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #117 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 426 general biology students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those general biology students who get their degree from George Mason University earn $15,215 more than the average biology graduate.

More information about a degree in general biology from George Mason University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
506 Biology Degrees Awarded
11.5% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in general biology needs to check out Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU is a very large public university located in the city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #240 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 506 general biology students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the biology program state that they receive average early career earnings of $19,662.

More information about a degree in general biology from Virginia Commonwealth University

5
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In VA
141 Biology Degrees Awarded

William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #111 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.

There were about 141 general biology students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general biology from William & Mary

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Biology Degrees Awarded
$38,712 Median Starting Salary

VMI is a small public school located in the distant town of Lexington. A Best Colleges rank of #326 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means VMI is a great school overall.

There were roughly 36 general biology students who graduated with this degree at VMI in the most recent data year. General Biology degree recipients from Virginia Military Institute earn a boost of approximately $10,295 over the average income of general biology majors.

More information about a degree in general biology from Virginia Military Institute

7
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
230 Biology Degrees Awarded
8.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #169 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were about 230 general biology students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the biology program earn around $27,637 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in general biology from James Madison University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Biology Degrees Awarded
$27,901 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Newport News, CNU is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 17th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 153 general biology students who graduated with this degree at CNU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the biology program report average early career wages of $27,901.

More information about a degree in general biology from Christopher Newport University

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Biology Degrees Awarded
$36,402 Median Starting Salary

Randolph - Macon is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Ashland. This college ranks 22nd out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 47 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Randolph - Macon in the most recent year we have data available. Those general biology students who get their degree from Randolph - Macon College receive $7,985 more than the average biology grad.

More information about a degree in general biology from Randolph - Macon College

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
235 Biology Degrees Awarded
7.2% Growth in Graduates

Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk. A Best Colleges rank of #446 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Old Dominion is a great university overall.

There were approximately 235 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Old Dominion in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, biology degree recipients usually make about $28,135 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in general biology from Old Dominion University

Best General Biology Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best General Biology Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 3,494
Florida 282 6,422
North Carolina 279 3,663
Tennessee 269 1,542
South Carolina 248 1,775
Kentucky 244 1,140
Louisiana 242 1,529
Mississippi 234 1,380
Arkansas 234 891
Alabama 233 1,939
West Virginia 207 526

View All Rankings >

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

Biology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Biology Studies 3,097
General Biomedical Sciences 416

View All Biology Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 452
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 342
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 255
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 162
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 101
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 61
Biotechnology 37
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 27
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 26
Zoology 23

View All Biology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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