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Cambridge, MA · Biology

Biology at Harvard

Harvard graduates about 235 biology majors a year, 14% of its graduating class. That puts it 2nd of 692 schools we score for biology, a standout program at 97 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $66,000 four years out, 1.77× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $452 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

97/100Standout#2 of 692 for biology →
Graduates a year23514% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$66,0001.77× the same major nationally
Research in the field$452Ma year, NSF
Admit rate4%whole school
SAT middle 50%1490–1580whole school

Around Harvard

A rack for locking electric scooters outside Cabot Science Library at Harvard Un
Electric scooter rack outside Cabot Science Library Harvard Feb 2025Photo: 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0 · source
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Gordon McKay Laboratory, Harvard University (23174907213)Photo: Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Cambridge, MA
Harvard Science Center (54941166095)Photo: ajay_suresh · CC BY 4.0 · source
Happened to catch the glow of the evening sun reflecting on Memorial Hall today.
Memorial Hall, Perfect Evening Light (6670591133)Photo: Tim Sackton from Somerville, MA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source

Where biology happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Bauer Chemistry Laboratory, McKay Laboratory, Cruft Laboratory, Hoffman Laboratory, Museum of Comparative Zoology Laboratories, Engineering Sciences Lab, Biological Laboratories, Lyman Laboratory, Jefferson Physical Laboratory, Laboratory for Integrated Science and Engineering.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 130 · Dorm 62 · Student housing 22 · Arts 6 · Library 6 · Chapel 4.

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Nearby in the biology ranking

  1. Duke University 98
  2. Cornell University 95
  3. Washington University in St. Louis 95
  4. Emory University 94
  5. Brown University 94

Other strong majors at Harvard

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Harvard with every school we score in biology. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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