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Best Value General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Value General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

36 Colleges
$23,643 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,375 Avg Salary

Finding the Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree School for You

General Biology is one of the most popular subjects to study in Illinois. With 2,864 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 10th out of all the majors we track in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 36 schools in Illinois to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for biology students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois

Check out the biology bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Southern Illinois University Edwardsville the best value school in Illinois for general biology students working on their bachelor’s degree. SIUE is a large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, biology graduates from SIUE carry an average student debtload of $23,358. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $235, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full General Biology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

Out of the 36 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Illinois State are $13,968 a year. On average, biology graduates from Illinois State take out $22,139 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $404.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Illinois State is ranked #5 for overall quality for biology in Illinois.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. UIS is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UIS are $12,053 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, biology graduates from UIS carry an average student debtload of $24,488.

Full General Biology at University of Illinois at Springfield Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NIU are $14,738 per year. Biology majors at NIU take out an average of $27,006 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $160.

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#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Out of the 36 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $12,297 per year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, biology graduates from EIU carry an average student debtload of $23,561.

Full General Biology at Eastern Illinois University Report

Western Illinois University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree general biology programs. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $386, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on General Biology at Western Illinois University

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for general biology students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northeastern Illinois University are $12,064 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, biology graduates from Northeastern Illinois University carry an average student debtload of $21,374.

Read full report on General Biology at Northeastern Illinois University

Chicago State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Chicago, CSU is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSU are $11,204 a year.

Full General Biology at Chicago State University Report

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value bachelor’s degree general biology programs. SIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Carbondale.

SIUC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,240 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Bachelor's Degree, biology majors at SIUC accumulate an average of around $25,210 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $140.

Read full report on General Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#9

Governors State University

University Park, IL

With a ranking of #9, Governors State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for general biology students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GSU are $10,108 a year.

Read full report on General Biology at Governors State University

Best Value General Biology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

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

One of 14 majors within the area of study, general biology has other similar majors worth exploring.

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.

  • 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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