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Best Colleges for Biology

50 Biology programs ranked by real graduate earnings, debt, and completion — from the College Scorecard Field-of-Study data.

⚡Quick answer

For Biology, Duke University (North Carolina) ranks #1 by our outcome score, with median graduate earnings of $83,192. Rankings reflect earnings, debt, and completion — not reputation or cost — across 50 programs with published outcome data.

#	School	Credential	Median earnings	Median debt	Completers	Score
1	Duke University Durham, NC	Bachelor's Degree	$83,192	$12,500	160	95.4
2	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$79,163	$13,000	177	94
3	Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA	Bachelor's Degree	$83,614	$19,000	182	92.7
4	Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ	Bachelor's Degree	$93,200	$20,276	163	92.7
5	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	Bachelor's Degree	$87,026	$17,030	55	92.1
6	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$74,204	$15,000	362	91.8
7	Tufts University Medford, MA	Bachelor's Degree	$76,782	$16,250	138	91.6
8	University of Detroit Mercy Detroit, MI	Bachelor's Degree	$91,888	$20,500	121	91.3
9	Touro University New York, NY	Bachelor's Degree	$75,886	$17,250	146	90.7
10	New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury, NY	Bachelor's Degree	$80,208	$19,500	126	90.5
11	Lafayette College Easton, PA	Bachelor's Degree	$82,109	$17,000	48	90.3
12	Yeshiva University New York, NY	Bachelor's Degree	$90,456	$20,500	75	89.7
13	Georgetown University Washington, DC	Bachelor's Degree	$77,132	$17,380	71	89.6
14	California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$74,010	$18,272	185	89.5
15	Northwestern University Evanston, IL	Bachelor's Degree	$71,181	$14,684	150	88.8
16	University of the Pacific Stockton, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$83,012	$21,500	138	88.3
17	The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ	Bachelor's Degree	$75,531	$19,500	118	88.2
18	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	Bachelor's Degree	$78,466	$20,500	89	87.5
19	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI	Bachelor's Degree	$80,379	$22,250	193	87.4
20	Auburn University Auburn, AL	Bachelor's Degree	$83,053	$23,250	315	87
21	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA	Doctoral Degree	$129,900	—	85	87
22	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	Bachelor's Degree	$69,083	$15,500	290	87
23	Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY	Bachelor's Degree	$71,533	$14,500	62	86.9
24	California State University-Chico Chico, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$71,726	$17,600	87	86.8
25	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$68,120	$13,000	418	86.7
26	Union College	Bachelor's Degree	$87,208	$21,500	46	86.4
27	University of Maryland-Baltimore County Baltimore, MD	Bachelor's Degree	$69,724	$18,500	346	86.3
28	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	Bachelor's Degree	$88,921	$24,524	253	86.3
29	Harvard University Cambridge, MA	Doctoral Degree	$106,501	—	70	86.2
30	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA	Bachelor's Degree	$70,240	$19,063	337	86
31	Furman University Greenville, SC	Bachelor's Degree	$80,090	$20,773	51	85.9
32	Emory University Atlanta, GA	Bachelor's Degree	$70,959	$19,500	203	85.8
33	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	Master's Degree	$128,052	—	53	85.7
34	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA	Doctoral Degree	$189,144	—	47	85.7
35	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	Bachelor's Degree	$68,435	$15,000	158	85.7
36	Emory University Atlanta, GA	Doctoral Degree	$105,042	—	57	85.5
37	SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY	Bachelor's Degree	$71,874	$19,813	106	85.5
38	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$68,861	$18,010	285	85.4
39	University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School Worcester, MA	Doctoral Degree	$150,264	—	46	85.3
40	University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA	Master's Degree	$87,940	$24,482	111	85.1
41	San Jose State University San Jose, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$79,095	—	182	84.8
42	Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO	Bachelor's Degree	$68,359	$13,500	87	84.8
43	Mission College Santa Clara, CA	Associate's Degree	$82,066	—	91	84.4
44	University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA	Bachelor's Degree	$76,149	$22,750	117	84.4
45	University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth, TX	Master's Degree	$70,283	$20,500	292	83.9
46	Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$70,331	$19,500	81	83.3
47	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	Doctoral Degree	$176,414	—	26	83
48	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	Bachelor's Degree	$69,005	$20,500	389	83
49	Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA	Bachelor's Degree	$80,317	$23,250	57	82.9
50	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)	$85,032	—	—	82.8

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How we ranked this

Programs are scored 0–100 within the Biology field (CIP 26.01) using three College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (weighted 70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, inverted so lower debt scores higher), and completer count (10%, log-scaled). Each input is percentile-ranked against the other Biology programs, so the score is robust to outliers and comparable across schools. Programs with no published earnings are excluded — never given a fabricated number. This is the same engine that powers our interactive Major Rankings. Minimum 5 scorable programs required to publish.

Frequently asked questions

Which college has the best Biology program?+

By our outcome score, Duke University (North Carolina) ranks #1 for Biology, with median graduate earnings of $83,192.

How are these Biology programs ranked?+

Each program gets a 0–100 outcome score from three real College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, lower is better), and completer count (10%). Programs are compared within the major so the score reflects the best schools for this field specifically.

Where does the earnings and debt data come from?+

The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field-of-Study file, which publishes median earnings and median debt by institution and major (4-digit CIP). Figures are post-graduation medians; programs without published earnings are not scored and are omitted from this ranking.

Can I filter Biology programs by state or degree level?+

Yes. This page shows the national top programs; use the interactive Major Rankings tool to filter the same data by state, and by credential level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral).

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Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Field of Study) · IPEDS Completions. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.