Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Biology, General

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 822

Avg grad salary: $45,515

Total graduates: 63,340

Top Colleges for Biology, General — Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#	School	Median Salary (4yr)	Starting Salary (1yr)	Graduates	Median Debt	Admit Rate
1	University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI	$95,564	$19,882	44	$21,500	80.1%
2	Ohio Dominican University Columbus, OH	$83,827	$38,548	18	$27,000	85.3%
3	Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ	$81,601	$27,759	56	$21,500	78.9%
4	Yeshiva University New York, NY	$77,314	$21,104	25	$20,500	63.7%
5	University of the Pacific Stockton, CA	$75,402	$14,396	26	$21,500	94.9%
6	Marist University Poughkeepsie, NY	$74,782	$30,737	52	$26,000	64.7%
7	Providence College Providence, RI	$74,656	$39,616	74	$27,000	48.7%
8	Northeastern University Boston, MA	$73,280	$45,494	112	$25,000	9.9%
9	Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA	$73,280	$45,494	112	$25,000	N/A
10	The College of Saint Scholastica Duluth, MN	$72,626	$28,195	29	$25,499	93.8%
11	Siena College Loudonville, NY	$72,370	$33,416	36	$27,000	70.6%
12	Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA	$71,939	$51,711	41	$26,999	58.5%
13	Morehouse College Atlanta, GA	$71,611	$19,679	23	$24,543	51.4%
14	Villanova University Villanova, PA	$70,311	$31,818	56	$27,000	25.1%
15	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY	$70,124	$30,257	116	$12,598	54.0%
16	Salve Regina University Newport, RI	$70,070	$40,525	40	$27,000	69.9%
17	New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury, NY	$69,849	$20,883	30	$19,500	78.1%
18	University of La Verne La Verne, CA	$69,780	$22,650	31	$26,000	48.5%
19	Widener University Chester, PA	$68,495	$35,142	22	$26,999	84.0%
20	College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA	$67,624	$43,276	52	$27,000	21.1%
21	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA	$66,988	$46,526	146	$26,747	85.2%
22	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA	$66,779	$36,174	58	$27,000	78.7%
23	CUNY City College New York, NY	$66,075	$28,324	157	$12,348	58.1%
24	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	$66,072	$28,555	107	$25,296	87.4%
25	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	$66,043	$38,841	246	$16,000	8.2%
26	DeSales University Center Valley, PA	$65,437	$42,751	26	$27,000	78.6%
27	State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY	$65,127	$29,383	58	$26,000	50.7%
28	Dickinson College Carlisle, PA	$64,560	$23,097	24	$19,000	43.1%
29	Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA	$63,852	$38,592	159	$19,000	15.7%
30	Clarkson University Potsdam, NY	$63,850	$39,807	26	$27,000	77.2%
31	Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA	$63,600	$43,797	32	$23,000	81.7%
32	Cal Poly SLO San Luis Obispo, CA	$63,237	$35,638	129	$22,949	29.8%
33	Tufts University Medford, MA	$63,185	$39,016	85	$16,250	10.1%
34	Drake University Des Moines, IA	$63,077	$41,226	18	$25,343	64.1%
35	Duke University Durham, NC	$62,963	$30,939	112	$12,500	6.8%
36	Mercyhurst University Erie, PA	$62,656	$29,167	26	$27,000	83.2%
37	Columbia University New York, NY	$62,588	$40,935	35	$19,892	4.2%
38	University of Delaware Newark, DE	$62,360	$39,746	144	$25,261	65.1%
39	Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA	$62,208	$36,643	48	$27,000	78.8%
40	Rhode Island College Providence, RI	$62,028	$39,910	37	$26,949	81.1%
41	UC Berkeley Berkeley, CA	$61,867	$36,642	139	$14,000	11.7%
42	Concordia University Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	$61,860	$23,080	25	$26,000	72.1%
43	Concordia University-Wisconsin Mequon, WI	$61,860	$23,080	25	$26,000	67.5%
44	Utah Valley University Orem, UT	$61,611	$38,427	76	$19,200	N/A
45	Utah State University Logan, UT	$61,607	$29,179	83	$15,750	93.6%
46	Saint Ambrose University Davenport, IA	$61,468	$30,825	20	$27,000	73.3%
47	Wingate University Wingate, NC	$61,396	$27,729	52	$27,000	85.0%
48	University of Mount Union Alliance, OH	$61,157	$33,433	22	$27,000	80.1%
49	University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH	$60,936	$45,346	237	$27,000	87.3%
50	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH	$60,936	$45,346	237	$27,000	86.9%
51	University of Redlands Redlands, CA	$60,877	$30,047	31	$26,784	80.9%
52	University of Hawaii at Hilo Hilo, HI	$60,840	$35,373	31	$21,750	89.8%
53	Wartburg College Waverly, IA	$60,804	$34,398	27	$27,000	99.4%
54	Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA	$60,789	$38,513	23	$26,931	91.5%
55	Lafayette College Easton, PA	$60,777	$41,885	19	$17,000	31.5%
56	Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA	$60,717	$33,863	36	$27,000	94.8%
57	Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ	$60,574	$26,445	53	$27,000	89.5%
58	University of Saint Mary Leavenworth, KS	$60,442	$34,718	22	$26,000	89.8%
59	New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ	$60,408	$25,749	45	$21,834	66.9%
60	Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC	$60,300	$30,666	47	$22,612	21.6%

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Biology, General Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

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