Rankings by major · 397 schools scored

Best colleges for biology

Every school we cover is scored 0–100 for biology. The score blends how graduates in the major do four years out against the national norm for the same major, the strength of the student body, how many undergraduate courses the department lists, and the size of the program. Small programs (under five graduates a year) are capped. 80 and up is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Many biology students go on to graduate or medical school, which early-career pay undercounts, so read this one alongside the school's overall strength.

The top biology schools: Duke University, Harvard University, Washington University in St. Louis.

Top 100 colleges for biology
Rank	School	Score (0–100)	Tier	Graduates per year in the major	Share of the class	Pay vs. national, same major	Acceptance rate
1	Duke University Durham, NC	96	Standout	317	17.1%	1.35×	5%
2	Harvard University Cambridge, MA	95	Standout	235	13.8%	1.77×	4%
3	Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO	90	Standout	249	13.5%	1.19×	12%
4	Emory University Atlanta, GA	89	Standout	366	17.2%	1.22×	10%
4	Tufts University Medford, MA	89	Standout	196	13.3%	1.34×	11%
4	Yale University New Haven, CT	89	Standout	190	13.4%	1.39×	5%
4	Princeton University Princeton, NJ	89	Standout	115	9.1%	1.28×	4%
4	Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME	89	Standout	100	22.7%	–	7%
4	Colby College Waterville, ME	89	Standout	95	18%	–	7%
4	Pomona College Claremont, CA	89	Standout	65	17.9%	–	7%
11	Haverford College Haverford, PA	88	Standout	59	19.4%	–	12%
12	University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC	87	Standout	740	15.2%	1.08×	17%
12	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	87	Standout	466	12.3%	1.26×	9%
12	Rice University Houston, TX	87	Standout	192	18.7%	–	8%
12	University of Chicago Chicago, IL	87	Standout	186	10.7%	1.05×	4%
12	Middlebury College Middlebury, VT	87	Standout	108	16.4%	1.46×	11%
12	Bates College Lewiston, ME	87	Standout	86	18.1%	–	13%
12	Davidson College Davidson, NC	87	Standout	79	17%	–	13%
12	Amherst College Amherst, MA	87	Standout	77	15.2%	–	9%
20	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	86	Standout	249	11.5%	1.05×	11%
20	Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA	86	Standout	49	16.6%	–	29%
22	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	85	Standout	803	10%	1.01×	16%
22	Smith College Northampton, MA	85	Standout	96	16.1%	1.10×	21%
24	University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	84	Standout	1,445	15.6%	1.03×	9%
24	University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI	84	Standout	1,223	16.4%	1.09×	45%
24	University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA	84	Standout	631	13.3%	1.07×	59%
24	University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA	84	Standout	331	11.5%	1.22×	5%
24	Brown University Providence, RI	84	Standout	238	14.2%	1.06×	5%
24	Barnard College New York, NY	84	Standout	112	15.4%	1.12×	9%
24	Wellesley College Wellesley, MA	84	Standout	92	16.3%	1.02×	14%
24	Carleton College Northfield, MN	84	Standout	65	13.5%	–	20%
24	Williams College Williamstown, MA	84	Standout	59	11.5%	1.14×	9%
33	Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH	83	Standout	215	16.6%	0.94×	35%
33	Columbia University New York, NY	83	Standout	174	7.9%	1.05×	5%
33	Lafayette College Easton, PA	83	Standout	108	15.6%	1.44×	31%
33	Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA	83	Standout	51	12.2%	1.01×	7%
37	Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD	82	Standout	360	25.1%	0.87×	8%
37	Northwestern University Evanston, IL	82	Standout	248	12%	1.07×	7%
37	Wake Forest University Winston Salem, NC	82	Standout	136	10.5%	1.11×	22%
37	Dartmouth College Hanover, NH	82	Standout	126	12%	1.77×	6%
37	Georgetown University Washington, DC	82	Standout	111	6.2%	1.35×	13%
37	Trinity University San Antonio, TX	82	Standout	102	17.5%	–	26%
37	Yeshiva University New York, NY	82	Standout	87	15.3%	1.58×	56%
37	Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA	82	Standout	33	10%	–	9%
45	University of California San Diego La Jolla, CA	81	Standout	1,642	18.5%	1.11×	29%
45	University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA	81	Standout	1,007	11.5%	1.10×	11%
45	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	81	Standout	952	12.5%	1.05×	80%
45	Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA	81	Standout	225	10.8%	0.79×	14%
45	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	81	Standout	119	13.5%	1.50×	29%
45	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY	81	Standout	103	15.8%	0.79×	19%
45	Hamilton College Clinton, NY	81	Standout	72	14.6%	–	14%
45	Stanford University Stanford, CA	81	Standout	56	3.5%	–	4%
45	Reed College Portland, OR	81	Standout	39	13.1%	–	29%
54	University of California, Davis Davis, CA	80	Standout	1,518	17.4%	1.12×	44%
54	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	80	Standout	211	12.3%	0.95×	6%
54	Colgate University Hamilton, NY	80	Standout	122	16.4%	1.01×	14%
54	Connecticut College New London, CT	80	Standout	98	23.2%	1.29×	37%
54	Grinnell College Grinnell, IA	80	Standout	80	20%	0.91×	15%
54	University of Richmond Richmond, VA	80	Standout	74	9.6%	1.22×	22%
54	Scripps College Claremont, CA	80	Standout	53	23.3%	–	38%
61	Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO	79	Strong	105	21.1%	1.10×	18%
61	Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA	79	Strong	86	14.9%	0.98×	36%
61	Wesleyan University Middletown, CT	79	Strong	68	8.5%	–	16%
64	University of Washington Seattle, WA	78	Strong	979	11.3%	0.99×	39%
64	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	78	Strong	506	9.4%	1.27×	54%
64	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	78	Strong	327	16.6%	1.47×	87%
64	Kenyon College Gambier, OH	78	Strong	70	15.3%	–	31%
64	United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, CO	78	Strong	57	5.6%	–	14%
64	Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA	78	Strong	55	12.4%	–	14%
70	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	77	Strong	1,262	14.2%	1.02×	85%
70	North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC	77	Strong	642	9.8%	1.05×	42%
70	Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA	77	Strong	336	14.4%	1.42×	16%
70	Creighton University Omaha, NE	77	Strong	183	15.2%	1.07×	92%
70	Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA	77	Strong	18	7.9%	–	13%
75	Rutgers University–New Brunswick Piscataway, NJ	76	Strong	788	9.3%	1.17×	58%
75	University of Maryland, College Park College Park, MD	76	Strong	701	8.3%	1.17×	45%
75	Boston University Boston, MA	76	Strong	543	11.5%	1.05×	13%
75	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL	76	Strong	322	11.1%	0.86×	19%
75	Brandeis University Waltham, MA	76	Strong	247	28.9%	1.04×	40%
75	Saint Louis University St. Louis, MO	76	Strong	187	12.4%	1.15×	75%
75	Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA	76	Strong	97	7.8%	1.32×	29%
75	Oberlin College Oberlin, OH	76	Strong	92	14.2%	0.77×	34%
75	Franklin & Marshall College Lancaster, PA	76	Strong	68	12.5%	–	28%
75	Trinity College Hartford, CT	76	Strong	62	12%	1.07×	30%
75	Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI	76	Strong	51	16%	–	21%
86	University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA	75	Strong	299	6.7%	1.23×	17%
86	University of Rochester Rochester, NY	75	Strong	237	12.3%	0.96×	42%
86	University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA	75	Strong	223	4.1%	1.21×	10%
86	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	75	Strong	107	5.6%	1.37×	48%
86	St. Olaf College Northfield, MN	75	Strong	91	13%	1.10×	43%
86	Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY	75	Strong	78	13.6%	1.09×	24%
86	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA	75	Strong	63	5.7%	–	5%
86	Union College Schenectady, NY	75	Strong	59	12.1%	1.34×	44%
86	Occidental College Los Angeles, CA	75	Strong	55	11.3%	1.05×	45%
86	Whitman College Walla Walla, WA	75	Strong	55	16.3%	–	38%
96	University of Massachusetts–Amherst Amherst, MA	74	Strong	785	12.5%	1.22×	60%
96	Northeastern University Boston, MA	74	Strong	450	10.1%	1.31×	5%
96	University of Delaware Newark, DE	74	Strong	333	7.6%	1.18×	71%
99	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	73	Strong	1,125	11.6%	1.00×	20%
99	Auburn University Auburn, AL	73	Strong	602	10.6%	1.20×	46%

297 more schools are on the full biology ranking.

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