College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best General Biology Schools in Virginia

26 Colleges in Virginia
3,235 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 26 schools in Virginia 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 3,235 degrees in general biology annually.

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

Choosing a Great General Biology School

Best General Biology Schools in Virginia 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. 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.

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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best General Biology Schools in Virginia ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 Virginia

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 Virginia Schools in Biology

1
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
278 Biology Degrees Awarded
$28,239 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Tech is a good choice for students interested in a degree in general biology. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were roughly 278 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the biology program make around $28,239 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from Virginia Tech

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
348 Biology Degrees Awarded
$23,395 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Virginia - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in general biology. University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville. A Best Colleges rank of #35 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Virginia is a great university overall.

There were about 348 general biology students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent data year. After graduation, biology degree recipients usually earn around $23,395 in the first five years of their career.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
452 Biology Degrees Awarded
$30,183 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in general biology needs to take a look at Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Richmond. A Best Colleges rank of #189 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were about 452 general biology students who graduated with this degree at VCU 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 $30,183.

More information about a degree in general biology from Virginia Commonwealth University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
422 Biology Degrees Awarded
$35,960 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat George Mason University if you want to pursue a degree in general biology. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 422 general biology students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. General Biology degree recipients from George Mason University get an earnings boost of around $2,147 over the average earnings of general biology majors.

More information about a degree in general biology from George Mason University

5
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
192 Biology Degrees Awarded
$34,159 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were about 192 general biology students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the biology program report average early career earnings of $34,159.

More information about a degree in general biology from James Madison University

6
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
164 Biology Degrees Awarded
14.0% Growth in Graduates

William & Mary is a medium-sized public school located in the small suburb of Williamsburg. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.

There were roughly 164 general biology students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, biology degree recipients generally earn an average of $29,851 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in general biology from William & Mary

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Biology Degrees Awarded
$30,287 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Newport News, CNU is a public university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #479 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CNU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 127 general biology students who graduated with this degree at CNU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the biology program earn around $30,287 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from Christopher Newport University

8
URichmond crest
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Biology Degrees Awarded
$36,300 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of University of Richmond, URichmond is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #126 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means URichmond is a great university overall.

There were approximately 56 general biology students who graduated with this degree at URichmond in the most recent year we have data available. Those general biology students who get their degree from University of Richmond make $2,487 more than the typical biology grad.

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

9
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Biology Degrees Awarded
$32,457 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Radford, Radford is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 20th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 66 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Radford in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the biology program earn about $32,457 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general biology from Radford University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51 Biology Degrees Awarded
7.8% Growth in Graduates

Randolph - Macon is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Ashland. This college ranks 29th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were roughly 51 general biology students who graduated with this degree at Randolph - Macon in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the biology program earn around $33,361 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general biology from Randolph - Macon College

Best General Biology Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 3,494
Florida 282 6,422
North Carolina 279 3,663
Tennessee 269 1,542
South Carolina 248 1,775
Kentucky 244 1,140
Louisiana 242 1,529
Mississippi 234 1,380
Arkansas 234 891
Alabama 233 1,939
West Virginia 207 526

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 2,889
General Biomedical Sciences 346

View All Biology Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 421
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 332
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 258
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 163
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 106
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 64
Biotechnology 43
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 39
Zoology 31
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 16

View All Biology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options