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2025 Best General Biology Schools in Pennsylvania

57 Colleges in Pennsylvania
4,508 Biology Degrees Awarded
$33,813 Avg Early-Career Salary
General Biology is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #5 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 57 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for general biology students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,508 degrees in general biology annually.

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

Choosing a Great General Biology School

Best General Biology Schools in Pennsylvania 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general biology 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.

General Biology Rankings by Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best General Biology Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for General Biology in Pennsylvania

The schools below may not offer all types of biology degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Pennsylvania Schools in Biology

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
169 Biology Degrees Awarded
6.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in general biology needs to take a look at University of Pennsylvania. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 169 general biology students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, biology degree recipients generally make about $31,055 at the beginning of their careers.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
341 Biology Degrees Awarded
2.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in general biology. Pitt is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were roughly 341 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, biology degree recipients typically earn about $33,591 in their early careers.

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

3
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
285 Biology Degrees Awarded
$35,101 Median Starting Salary

Temple University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in general biology. Temple is a very large public university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 285 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Temple 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 income of $35,101.

More information about a degree in general biology from Temple University

4
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
203 Biology Degrees Awarded
14.8% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Drexel University if you want to pursue a degree in general biology. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were about 203 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general biology program at Drexel University get $6,787 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in general biology from Drexel University

5
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Biology Degrees Awarded
$31,818 Median Starting Salary

Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Villanova is a great university overall.

There were roughly 83 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program earn an average of $31,818 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general biology from Villanova University

6
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Biology Degrees Awarded
$45,695 Median Starting Salary

Lehigh is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Bethlehem. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Lehigh is a great university overall.

There were approximately 42 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Lehigh in the most recent data year. General Biology degree recipients from Lehigh University receive an earnings boost of approximately $11,882 over the typical income of general biology graduates.

More information about a degree in general biology from Lehigh University

7
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Biology Degrees Awarded
4.6% Growth in Graduates

Bucknell is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Lewisburg. A Best Colleges rank of #158 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bucknell is a great university overall.

There were about 65 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Bucknell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general biology degree program at Bucknell University get $4,952 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general biology from Bucknell University

8
Duquesne crest
Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
113 Biology Degrees Awarded
$36,643 Median Starting Salary

Duquesne is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #196 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Duquesne is a great university overall.

There were roughly 113 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Duquesne in the most recent data year. Those general biology students who get their degree from Duquesne University make $2,830 more than the standard biology student.

More information about a degree in general biology from Duquesne University

9
Lafayette crest
Lafayette College
Easton, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Biology Degrees Awarded
41.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #204 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Lafayette is a great college overall.

There were approximately 48 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Lafayette in the most recent year we have data available. Those general biology students who get their degree from Lafayette College receive $8,072 more than the average biology graduate.

More information about a degree in general biology from Lafayette College

10
Swarthmore crest
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$41,122 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Swarthmore, Swarthmore is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Swarthmore is a great college overall.

There were approximately 30 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Swarthmore in the most recent data year. Those general biology students who get their degree from Swarthmore College earn $7,309 more than the typical biology student.

More information about a degree in general biology from Swarthmore College

11
St. Joe's crest
Saint Joseph's University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Biology Degrees Awarded
43.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Philadelphia, St. Joe's is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #105 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means St. Joe's is a great university overall.

There were roughly 130 general biology students who graduated with this degree at St. Joe's in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program earn about $33,767 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in general biology from Saint Joseph’s University

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 Schools in Pennsylvania award.

Rank College Location
12 Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA
13 Ursinus College Collegeville, PA
14 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA
15 East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA
16 Allegheny College Meadville, PA
17 University of Scranton Scranton, PA
18 Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA
19 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA

Best General Biology Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 333 7,471
Maryland 279 1,848
New Jersey 273 3,102
District of Columbia 188 478
Delaware 175 279

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 4,089
General Biomedical Sciences 419

View All Biology Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 909
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 766
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 552
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 286
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 196
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 194
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 160
Biotechnology 121
Genetics 110
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 79

View All Biology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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