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Champaign, IL · Biology

Biology at Illinois

Illinois graduates about 464 biology majors a year, 6% of its graduating class. That puts it 96th of 692 schools we score for biology, a strong program at 78 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 137 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 95% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $67,000 four years out, about the national figure for the same major. Research spending in the field runs about $125 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

78/100Strong#96 of 692 for biology →
Graduates a year4646% of the class
Courses in the catalog137more than 95% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$67,0001.01× the same major nationally
Research in the field$125Ma year, NSF
Admit rate42%whole school
SAT middle 50%1320–1510whole school

Around Illinois

The UIUC Animal Sciences Lab, from the northwest
UIUC animal sciences lab 20081010 experiment6Photo: Experiment6 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Mount Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum gate, Urbana, IL
Mount Hope Cemetery and Mausoleum gate, Urbana, ILPhoto: Nick Number · CC BY 4.0 · source
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, United States
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, United States (Unsplash SPhoto: Dayne Topkin dtopkin1 · CC0 · source
Farm House
Farm House aka Mumford HousePhoto: Sallyajackson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Where biology happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Talbot Laboratory, Digital Computer Laboratory, Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Nuclear Engineering Laboratory, Engineering Sciences Building, Environmental Health and Safety Building, Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, University Laboratory High School, Coordinated Science Laboratory, Materials Research Laboratory, Siebel Center for Computer Science.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 144 · Student housing 84 · Dorm 45 · Athletics 22 · Arts 9 · Dining 6.

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Nearby in the biology ranking

  1. Carleton College 79
  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 79
  3. Swarthmore College 79
  4. Auburn University 78
  5. University of Maryland Baltimore County 78
  6. University of Delaware 78
  7. University of Kansas 78
  8. Syracuse University 78

Other strong majors at Illinois

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Illinois 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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