Zoology isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #165 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 54 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Zoology Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,067 degrees in zoology to qualified students.
Your choice of zoology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for zoology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Zoology Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the zoology degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
University of Wisconsin - Madison is a good decision for students interested in a degree in zoology. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were approximately 75 zoology students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the zoology program report average early career wages of $23,888.
Every student pursuing a degree in zoology has to take a look at Ohio State University - Main Campus. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 99 zoology students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, zoology degree recipients generally make around $29,996 at the beginning of their careers.
Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in zoology. Located in the midsize city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
There were about 223 zoology students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the zoology program earn about $27,741 in their early career salary.
University of Florida is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in zoology. UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.
There were about 129 zoology students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. After graduation, zoology degree recipients usually earn about $24,513 in the first five years of their career.
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were roughly 101 zoology students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.
Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.
There were roughly 129 zoology students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, zoology degree recipients usually earn an average of $26,801 at the beginning of their careers.
Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the city of College Station. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.
There were approximately 60.99999999999999 zoology students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the zoology program report average early career earnings of $31,485.
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of South Carolina.
There were approximately 11 zoology students who graduated with this degree at Clemson in the most recent year we have data available.
UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 17 zoology students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 4th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.
There were about 83 zoology students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the zoology program earn an average of $25,069 in the first couple years of their career.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Your choice of zoology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for zoology schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
