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2025 Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

36 Colleges in Illinois
2,397 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,293 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #4 in popularity, general biology is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. 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 36 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for general biology students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,397 bachelor's degrees in general biology during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Biology School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois Your choice of general biology for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for general biology students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank General Biology Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study General Biology in Illinois

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for general biology students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Biology

1

University of Chicago is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in general biology. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the biology program state that they receive average early career wages of $35,275.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from University of Chicago

2
150 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in general biology needs to check out Northwestern University. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Northwestern University

3
426 Annual Graduates
$28,768 Median Starting Salary
$27,581 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Chicago is a wonderful option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in general biology. UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the biology program make an average of $28,768 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from University of Illinois at Chicago

4
305 Annual Graduates
$31,964 Median Starting Salary
$53,886 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Loyola University Chicago if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in general biology. Located in the city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.

Soon after graduation, biology bachelor's recipients usually earn about $31,964 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Loyola University Chicago

5
109 Annual Graduates
$36,337 Median Starting Salary
$28,734 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general biology program at Illinois State University make $3,044 more than the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Illinois State University

6
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL
78 Annual Graduates
$32,844 Median Starting Salary
$28,143 Median Student Debt

Augustana is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small city of Rock Island.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the biology program report average early career earnings of $32,844.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Augustana College

7
80 Annual Graduates
$38,137 Median Starting Salary
$14,500 Median Student Debt

NIU is a large public university located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Those general biology students who get their bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University earn $4,844 more than the standard biology student.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Northern Illinois University

8
114 Annual Graduates
$38,067 Median Starting Salary
$26,205 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a large student population.

Those general biology students who get their bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville earn $4,774 more than the average biology grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

9
37 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from Bradley University

10
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
46 Annual Graduates
$30,750 Median Starting Salary
$68,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the biology program make an average of $30,750 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in general biology from DePaul University

Best General Biology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 2,552
Ohio 252 2,688
Indiana 235 1,522
Wisconsin 213 1,910

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General Biology is one of 14 different types of Biological & Biomedical Sciences programs to choose from.

Biology Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Biology Studies 2,342
General Biomedical Sciences 55

Related Major Annual Graduates
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 534
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 328
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 231
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 142
Zoology 42
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 15
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 14
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 13
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 7
Botany/Plant Biology 4

Notes and References

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