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Best Value General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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.

Top 10 Best General Biology Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to be the best value school for general biology students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Illinois. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SIUE are $11,496 a 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.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

Illinois State undergraduate students pay an average of $13,968 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

Illinois State not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #5 on our Best General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois list.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Springfield is a great value for general biology students working on their bachelor’s degree. UIS is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.

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

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The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Northern Illinois University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value general biology schools in Illinois. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a 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

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Eastern Illinois University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value general biology schools in Illinois. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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

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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 school with a medium-sized student population.

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

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Northeastern Illinois University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.

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

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

CSU undergraduate students pay an average of $11,204 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. 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.

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#9

Governors State University

University Park, IL

Governors State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Biology Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public school with a small student population.

GSU undergraduate students pay an average of $10,108 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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Best Value General Biology Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Value General Biology Schools 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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