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2024 Best General Biology Schools in the Plains States Region

77 Colleges in the Plains States Region
6,642 Biology Degrees Awarded
$29,028 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.

College Factual reviewed 77 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of general biology. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 6,642 degrees in general biology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Biology School

Best General Biology Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of general biology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your General Biology Degree Level

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

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 General Biology Schools in the Plains States Region. 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 the Plains States Region

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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Plains States Region Schools in Biology

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
361 Biology Degrees Awarded
$30,340 Median Starting Salary

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in general biology. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were roughly 361 general biology students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program make an average of $30,340 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general biology from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Biology Degrees Awarded
$37,830 Median Starting Salary

Washington University in St Louis is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in general biology. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 137 general biology students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year. General Biology degree recipients from Washington University in St Louis earn a boost of around $8,801 above the average income of general biology majors.

More information about a degree in general biology from Washington University in St Louis

3
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Biology Degrees Awarded
$30,684 Median Starting Salary

University of Iowa is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in general biology. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 109 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the biology program make about $30,684 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from University of Iowa

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
206 Biology Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Missouri - Columbia is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general biology. Mizzou is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were approximately 206 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou 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 $24,544.

More information about a degree in general biology from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 Biology Degrees Awarded
$28,328 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 198 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the biology program make an average of $28,328 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from Iowa State University

6
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Biology Degrees Awarded
$28,526 Median Starting Salary

Carleton is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #93 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Carleton is a great college overall.

There were about 53 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Carleton in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the biology program make around $28,526 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from Carleton College

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
152 Biology Degrees Awarded
21.1% Growth in Graduates

UNL is a very large public university located in the large city of Lincoln. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 152 general biology students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the biology program earn an average of $27,263 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

8
Grinnell crest
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Biology Degrees Awarded
$24,880 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Grinnell, Grinnell is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Grinnell is a great college overall.

There were approximately 38 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Grinnell in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program make an average of $24,880 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general biology from Grinnell College

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Biology Degrees Awarded
11.9% Growth in Graduates

South Dakota State is a fairly large public university located in the town of Brookings. This university ranks 1st out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Dakota.

There were roughly 109 general biology students who graduated with this degree at South Dakota State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program make an average of $27,268 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from South Dakota State University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Biology Degrees Awarded
$32,840 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 4th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 91 general biology students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. Those general biology students who get their degree from University of Northern Iowa earn $3,812 more than the typical biology student.

More information about a degree in general biology from University of Northern Iowa

11
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Biology Degrees Awarded
$28,831 Median Starting Salary

St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.

There were approximately 95 general biology students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf 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 $28,831.

More information about a degree in general biology from St Olaf College

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 Schools in the Plains States Region award.

Rank College Location
12 Macalester College Saint Paul, MN
13 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
14 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
15 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
16 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
17 Creighton University Omaha, NE
18 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
19 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN

Best General Biology Colleges by State

Explore the best general biology colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 1,745
Missouri 283 1,989
Kansas 266 693
Iowa 264 805
Nebraska 238 756
North Dakota 210 289
South Dakota 204 347

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 6,129
General Biomedical Sciences 513

View All Biology Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 1,125
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 766
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 537
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 377
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 291
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 272
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 190
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 127
Zoology 104
Genetics 81

View All Biology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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