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Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

138 Colleges
$28,013 Avg Salary
$25,277 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best General Biology School for You

With 107,165 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, general biology is the #5 most popular major in the United States.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 138 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for biology majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best General Biology Schools

Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - La Crosse to be the best school for general biology students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the small city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a large student population.

Biology majors at UW - La Crosse take out an average of $25,250 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $157.

Read full report on General Biology at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Madison helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best general biology schools in the Great Lakes Region . UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.

On average, biology graduates from UW - Madison take out $21,250 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $301.

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#3

Denison University

Granville, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Denison University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Granville, Denison is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that biology majors at Denison take out is $25,723.

Read full report on General Biology at Denison University

Out of the 138 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the # 4 spot on the list. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of River Falls.

On average, biology graduates from UW - River Falls take out $22,833 in student loans while working on their degree.

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The excellent programs at Ohio Northern University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best general biology schools in the Great Lakes Region . ONU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Ada.

While working on their degree, biology majors at ONU accumulate an average of around $26,737 in student debt.

Full General Biology at Ohio Northern University Report

#6

Carroll University

Waukesha, WI

Carroll University ranked #6 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Waukesha, Carroll U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, biology graduates from Carroll U take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on General Biology at Carroll University

#7

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.

On average, biology graduates from Purdue take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $298.

Full General Biology at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

#8

Franklin College

Franklin, IN

Franklin College ranked #8 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large suburb of Franklin, Franklin College of Indiana is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Biology majors at Franklin College of Indiana take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest College ranked #9 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Lake Forest is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Lake Forest.

Biology majors at Lake Forest take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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University of Wisconsin - Green Bay ranked #10 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

While working on their degree, biology majors at UW - Green Bay accumulate an average of around $23,127 in student debt.

Read full report on General Biology at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general biology students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, biology graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $256, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on General Biology at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#12

Wabash College

Crawfordsville, IN

Wabash College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general biology students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the town of Crawfordsville, Wabash is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

After completing their degree, biology graduates from Wabash carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

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#13

Aurora University

Aurora, IL

Aurora University ranked #13 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of Aurora, Aurora is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, biology graduates from Aurora take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full General Biology at Aurora University Report

#14

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

DePauw University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general biology students. It came in at #14 on the list. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Greencastle.

On average, biology graduates from DePauw take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full General Biology at DePauw University Report

University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general biology programs. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Platteville.

The average amount in student loans that biology majors at UW - Platteville take out is $25,000.

Full General Biology at University of Wisconsin - Platteville Report

Grand Valley State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. GVSU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Allendale.

While working on their degree, biology majors at GVSU accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $266, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on General Biology at Grand Valley State University

#17

Millikin University

Decatur, IL

Millikin University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general biology programs. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Decatur.

On average, biology graduates from Millikin take out $24,125 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full General Biology at Millikin University Report

With a ranking of #18, Mott Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for general biology students. Located in the city of Flint, MCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Biology majors at MCC take out an average of $14,096 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#19

Hanover College

Hanover, IN

Hanover College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general biology students. It came in at #19 on the list. Hanover is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.

On average, biology graduates from Hanover take out $26,891 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#20

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, IL

Elmhurst University ranked #20 on this year’s Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Elmhurst.

Biology majors at Elmhurst take out an average of $24,495 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for General Biology students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best General Biology Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
21 Illinois State University Normal, IL
22 Dominican University River Forest, IL
23 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
24 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
25 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
26 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
27 Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame, IN

Best General Biology Colleges by State

Explore the best general biology colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 2,795
Ohio 3,097
Illinois 2,864
Indiana 1,765
Wisconsin 1,970

General Biology is one of 14 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Biology

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 14,535
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 11,615
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 8,813
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 7,247
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 6,206

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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