Get my odds
Philadelphia, PA · Biology

Biology at Penn

Penn graduates about 331 biology majors a year, 12% of its graduating class. That puts it 18th of 692 schools we score for biology, a standout program at 90 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 71 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 57% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $72,000 four years out, 1.22× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $832 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

90/100Standout#18 of 692 for biology →
Graduates a year33112% of the class
Courses in the catalog71more than 57% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$72,0001.22× the same major nationally
Research in the field$832Ma year, NSF
Admit rate5%whole school
SAT middle 50%1500–1570whole school

Around Penn

Typical weep hole in brick masonry wall replace the space of the mortar joint to
Weep holePhoto: Dcorchado · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania - panoramioPhoto: Bohao Zhao · CC BY 3.0 · source
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States, February 2024
Penn Engineering bannerPhoto: Bredyhopi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, Statue of Benjamin Franklin arriving in Philade
University City - Philadelphia (2643245828)Photo: Reading Tom from Reading, UK · CC BY 2.0 · source

Where biology happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Leidy Laboratories, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Chemistry Laboratories 1941 Wing, Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories of the IAST, Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, Chemistry Laboratories 1973 Wing, Perelman Center for Political Science & Economics, Goddard & Richards Laboratories, Biomedical Research Building II/III, David Rittenhouse Laboratories, Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM).

Named buildings on the campus map: Dorm 109 · Academic 88 · Dining 16 · Arts 13 · Athletics 10 · Student housing 7.

Open the full-screen campus map →

Nearby in the biology ranking

  1. University of Notre Dame 91
  2. Brandeis University 91
  3. Middlebury College 91
  4. University of California, Los Angeles 90
  5. Columbia University 90
  6. Wake Forest University 90
  7. University of California San Diego 89
  8. University of California, Berkeley 89

Other strong majors at Penn

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Penn 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.

See your odds at Penn Everything about Penn