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University Park, PA · Biology

Biology at Penn State

Penn State graduates about 704 biology majors a year, 7% of its graduating class. That puts it 69th of 692 schools we score for biology, a standout program at 81 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 134 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 94% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $75,000 four years out, 1.20× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $195 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

81/100Standout#69 of 692 for biology →
Graduates a year7047% of the class
Courses in the catalog134more than 94% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$75,0001.20× the same major nationally
Research in the field$195Ma year, NSF
Admit rate61%whole school
SAT middle 50%1210–1390whole school

Around Penn State

Davey Laboratory building at the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Stat
Davey Laboratory Building Penn State UniversityPhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source
An artificial waterfall in front of the Osmond Laboratory on the campus of Penns
2025-08-30 10 54 20 An artificial waterfall in front of the Osmond Laboratory onPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Nursing Sciences building at the University Park campus of Penn State Univer
Nursing Sciences Building at Penn StatePhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source
University Park, PA, USA
University Park, PA, USA - panoramio (8)Photo: thomasrive · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Where biology happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: High Pressure Gas Laboratory, Althouse Laboratory, Wartik Laboratory, Verne M Willaman Gateway to the Sciences, Animal, Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Building Construction, Radiation Science Engineering Center Storage Building, Millennium Science Complex, Chandlee Laboratory, Pond Laboratory, Whitmore Laboratory, Osmond Laboratory, Student Health Center.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 279 · Dorm 62 · Student housing 45 · Athletics 13 · Arts 13 · Dining 8.

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Nearby in the biology ranking

  1. Carnegie Mellon University 82
  2. The University of Texas–Austin 81
  3. University of Colorado Boulder 81
  4. University of Georgia 81
  5. University of Alabama at Birmingham 81
  6. Georgia Institute of Technology 81
  7. University of Southern California 81
  8. William & Mary 81

Other strong majors at Penn State

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Penn State 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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