2025 Best General Biology Schools in Illinois
37
Colleges in Illinois
2,773
Biology Degrees Awarded
$33,813
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 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 37 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for general biology students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,773 degrees in general biology to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great General Biology School
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
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 Illinois list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 Illinois
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 Illinois Schools in Biology
University of Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in general biology. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 149 general biology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the biology program make about $35,275 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in general biology from University of Chicago
Northwestern University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in general biology. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were roughly 169 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general biology major at Northwestern University make $53,133 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in general biology from Northwestern University
University of Illinois at Chicago is a good decision for students interested in a degree in general biology. UIC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #254 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 438 general biology students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program earn about $28,768 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in general biology from University of Illinois at Chicago
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
40th
Most Popular In IL
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general biology. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 10 general biology students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general biology from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 372 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the biology program state that they receive average early career wages of $30,189.
More information about a degree in general biology from Loyola University Chicago
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were about 128 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. General Biology degree recipients from Illinois State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,524 above the typical earnings of general biology majors.
More information about a degree in general biology from Illinois State University
Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Rock Island. This college ranks 21st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 78 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Augustana in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the biology program report average early career earnings of $32,844.
More information about a degree in general biology from Augustana College
Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 134 general biology students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent year we have data available. Those general biology students who get their degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville make $4,254 more than the standard biology grad.
More information about a degree in general biology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
NIU is a large public university located in the small suburb of Dekalb. A Best Colleges rank of #529 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NIU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 90 general biology students who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general biology program at Northern Illinois University earn $4,398 more than the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in general biology from Northern Illinois University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
19th
Most Popular In IL
41
Biology Degrees Awarded
Located in the midsize city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #519 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Bradley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 41 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general biology from Bradley University
