10 Most Affordable Bachelor’s in Biology

Work­ing adults and oth­er stu­dents may want to obtain a biol­o­gy degree, but won­der how they can afford it. For­tu­nate­ly, col­lege can be an option even despite their finan­cial bar­ri­ers, since there are sev­er­al ways to find afford­able biol­o­gy degrees. With some cre­ative think­ing, you can make an aver­age or high-priced biol­o­gy degree into an afford­able biol­o­gy degree.

First and fore­most, search the web to find afford­able biol­o­gy degrees. A per­son can also make expen­sive biol­o­gy degrees afford­able by apply­ing for finan­cial aid. Stu­dents can obtain grants that they don’t have to pay back as long as they com­plete the degree pro­gram. You can also take out low-inter­est loans that can help pay for the cost of tuition.

When look­ing for afford­able biol­o­gy degrees, look into pri­vate grants and schol­ar­ships. These options can pro­vide a stu­dent with mon­ey to com­plete their degree. How­ev­er, they don’t have to be paid back if the stu­dent com­pletes their degree. Work­ing adults can also look into an employ­er reim­burse­ment pro­gram. With this option, once an employ­ee com­pletes a degree, their employ­er pays for a por­tion of their education.

Methodology: Ranking the Most Affordable Biology Degree Programs

To rank the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees, Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter edi­tors start­ed with accred­it­ed, rep­utable insti­tu­tions. The rank­ing fea­tures schools accord­ing to their tuition cost, using cur­rent IPEDS data.

1. University of West Florida

Top­ping the list of the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees is the bach­e­lor’s degree in Biol­o­gy from the Uni­ver­si­ty of West Flori­da. Stu­dents can cus­tomize the degree by choos­ing elec­tives in micro­bi­ol­o­gy, biotech­nol­o­gy, tox­i­col­o­gy or anoth­er field. They learn to solve prob­lems in med­i­cine, the envi­ron­ment and agri­cul­ture by mak­ing tech­no­log­i­cal break­throughs in phys­i­ol­o­gy, mol­e­c­u­lar biol­o­gy, micro­bi­ol­o­gy, genet­ics, ecol­o­gy, botany and bio­chem­istry. There are two spe­cial­iza­tions avail­able. Stu­dents can choose a BS in Gen­er­al Biol­o­gy or a BA in Biol­o­gy Teaching.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of West Flori­da strives to use the pow­er of high­er edu­ca­tion to incite change around cam­pus, through­out Flori­da and all over the world. The school com­pares its staff and stu­dents to voy­agers on a quest to change the way things are and make them better.

What We Like: Stu­dents who com­plete the BA in Biol­o­gy Teach­ing will be cer­ti­fied to teach high school class­es in the state of Florida.

Degree: BS in Biology

Uni­ver­si­ty of West Flori­da BS in Biology

2. Eastern New Mexico University

Next on the list of the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees is the BS/BA in Biol­o­gy from East­ern New Mex­i­co Uni­ver­si­ty. ENMU also offers a BS in Biol­o­gy with sec­ondary sci­ence licen­sure for those who want to teach high school sci­ence. Oth­er degree options include a BS in Biol­o­gy with an empha­sis in ecol­o­gy, evo­lu­tion and organ­is­mal biol­o­gy; a BS in Biol­o­gy with an empha­sis in micro­bi­ol­o­gy, mol­e­c­u­lar biol­o­gy and biotech; and a BS in Biol­o­gy with an empha­sis in pre-med­i­cine. The BS/BA in Biol­o­gy with no empha­sis is a good choice for those who want to cus­tomize the degree to focus on an area where no empha­sis is available.

East­ern New Mex­i­co Uni­ver­si­ty has been help­ing stu­dents pre­pare for advanced study and to enter the work­force for 85 years. The school’s mis­sion is to focus on stu­dent life, cul­tur­al diver­si­ty, free­dom of inquiry and lib­er­al learning.

What We Like: Biol­o­gy majors often have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to par­tic­i­pate in research projects or do work in a lab.

Degree: BS/BA in Biology

BS/BA in Biol­o­gy — East­ern New Mex­i­co University

3. Florida State University

The BS/BA in Bio­log­i­cal Sci­ence from Flori­da State Uni­ver­si­ty is one of the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees in the US. Stu­dents can cus­tomize their degrees by choos­ing elec­tives in zool­o­gy; pre-pro­fes­sion­al health sci­ence; plant sci­ences; marine biol­o­gy; ecol­o­gy, evo­lu­tion and envi­ron­men­tal sci­ence; or cell and mol­e­c­u­lar biol­o­gy. Stu­dents who choose the pre-pro­fes­sion­al health sci­ences track are qual­i­fied to enter the physi­cian’s assis­tance, phys­i­cal ther­a­py, phar­ma­cy, den­tistry, optom­e­try, vet­eri­nary med­i­cine or med­i­cine program.

Flori­da State Uni­ver­si­ty is a pre­em­i­nent research uni­ver­si­ty, as des­ig­nat­ed by the Flori­da State Leg­is­la­ture. The school’s fac­ul­ty has been award­ed more than $1 bil­lion in grants and con­tracts over a 5‑year peri­od. Stu­dents who excel in their areas of study are rec­og­nized as “Stu­dent Stars.”

What We Like: Juniors and seniors enrolled in the BS/BA in Bio­log­i­cal Sci­ence may qual­i­fy to be involved in the Under­grad­u­ate Hon­ors in the Major Pro­gram in Marine Biology.

Degree: BS/BA in Bio­log­i­cal Science

BS/BA in Bio­log­i­cal Sci­ence — Flori­da State University

4. Ferris State University

Anoth­er afford­able biol­o­gy degree is the BS in Biol­o­gy from Fer­ris State Uni­ver­si­ty. This pro­gram pro­vides a strong foun­da­tion for stu­dents who want a career in the bio­log­i­cal sci­ences. The cur­ricu­lum includes physics, chem­istry, math, ecol­o­gy, genet­ics, micro­bi­ol­o­gy, anato­my and phys­i­ol­o­gy, and gen­er­al biol­o­gy. Stu­dents can choose addi­tion­al elec­tives in the areas that inter­est them most. This pro­gram can help stu­dents enter the work­force in the field imme­di­ate­ly or pre­pare them to pur­sue a more advanced degree.

Fer­ris State Uni­ver­si­ty is known for its large selec­tion of degree pro­grams and its qual­i­ty instruc­tion. The school is divid­ed into sev­en col­leges: Col­lege of Phar­ma­cy; Michi­gan Col­lege of Optom­e­try; Kendall Col­lege of Art and Design; Col­lege of Health Pro­fes­sions; Col­lege of Engi­neer­ing Tech­nol­o­gy; Col­lege of Busi­ness; and Col­lege of Arts, Sci­ences and Education.

What We Like: This pro­gram is open to high school grad­u­ates (or equiv­a­lent) who are well-pre­pared aca­d­e­m­i­cal­ly, with an edu­ca­tion­al back­ground appro­pri­ate to the study of biology.

Degree: BS in Biology

BS in Biol­o­gy — Fer­ris State University

5. Indiana State University

Indi­ana State Uni­ver­si­ty’s BS in Biol­o­gy is anoth­er of the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees in the coun­try. In this pro­gram, stu­dents will lean how new tech­nolo­gies change our under­stand­ing of the way organ­isms inter­act with each oth­er as well as their cel­lu­lar and mol­e­c­u­lar com­po­nents. The pro­gram incor­po­rates sev­er­al sub-dis­ci­plines of biol­o­gy, such as gen­er­al genet­ics, mol­e­c­u­lar biol­o­gy, ecol­o­gy and evo­lu­tion, and cel­lu­lar and micro­bial biol­o­gy. These sub-fields con­tribute new knowl­edge to wildlife and envi­ron­men­tal man­age­ment, biotech­nol­o­gy, genomics, bioin­for­mat­ics, teach­ing, agri­cul­ture, med­i­cine, and more.

Indi­ana State Uni­ver­si­ty’s core val­ues are inclu­sive­ness, engage­ment, dis­cov­ery and learn­ing. The school strives to pre­pare the next gen­er­a­tion of cit­i­zens and lead­ers by pro­vid­ing trans­for­ma­tive expe­ri­ences that help stu­dents excel.

What We Like: Stu­dents who com­plete the pro­gram may choose to attend a grad­u­ate school or a pro­fes­sion­al school, such as foren­sic sci­ence, den­tal hygiene, phar­ma­cy, optom­e­try, med­i­cine or dentistry.

Degree: BS in Biology

Indi­ana State Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Biology

6. University of Central Florida

Next on the list of the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees in the US is the BS in Biol­o­gy from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cen­tral Flori­da. Biol­o­gy majors get a foun­da­tion in the phys­i­cal, math­e­mat­i­cal, and chem­i­cal sci­ences as well as a broad edu­ca­tion in the bio­log­i­cal sci­ences. Stu­dents can choose a gen­er­al biol­o­gy track or select one of five spe­cial­ties: zool­o­gy and pre-vet­eri­nar­i­an sci­ence; pre-health pro­fes­sion­al; plant sci­ences; marine and aquat­ic; or ecol­o­gy, evo­lu­tion­ary and con­ser­va­tion. Stu­dents who choose the pre-health pro­fes­sion­al track will be pre­pared to pur­sue stud­ies in human or vet­eri­nary medicine.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of Cen­tral Flori­da was estab­lished in 1963 to pro­vide tal­ent for the US space pro­gram. US News & World Report ranks it as one of the top 20 most inno­v­a­tive col­leges in the US. UCF is a met­ro­pol­i­tan research uni­ver­si­ty that demands excel­lence and con­tin­u­al­ly tries to increase the num­ber and type of oppor­tu­ni­ties avail­able to students.

What We Like: The UCF biol­o­gy depart­ment has sev­er­al research labs and facil­i­ties, includ­ing the Herbar­i­um, Green­house, Bug Clos­et and Arboretum.

Degree: BS in Biology

BS in Biol­o­gy from the Uni­ver­si­ty of Cen­tral Florida

7. West Virginia University

The BS in Biol­o­gy from West Vir­ginia Uni­ver­si­ty is anoth­er of the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees. This pro­gram requires at least 120 cred­it hours, which includes gen­er­al edu­ca­tion foun­da­tions, col­lege Bach­e­lor of Sci­ence require­ments, STEM foun­da­tions, major require­ments and elec­tives. The cur­ricu­lum includes at least 38 cred­it hours of course­work in the bio­log­i­cal sci­ences. The biol­o­gy major require­ments include pro­fes­sion­al devel­op­ment, ecol­o­gy and evo­lu­tion, the liv­ing cell, intro­duc­to­ry phys­i­ol­o­gy, prin­ci­ples of biol­o­gy and the labs that cor­re­spond to those courses.

West Vir­ginia Uni­ver­si­ty is a col­lec­tion of cam­pus­es that share a sin­gle mis­sion: to cre­ate an inclu­sive and diverse cul­ture that advances pros­per­i­ty, health­care and edu­ca­tion. The school boasts ground­break­ing research, career-ori­ent­ed pro­grams, and tech-focused pro­grams that cre­ate a bet­ter future for stu­dents around the world.

What We Like: The BS in Biol­o­gy is a Speak­Write Cer­ti­fied Pro­gramTM. The pro­gram devel­ops stu­dents’ visu­al, ver­bal and writ­ten com­mu­ni­ca­tion skills.

Degree: BS in Biology

BS in Biol­o­gy — West Vir­ginia University

8. Washburn University

The BS in Biol­o­gy from Wash­burn Uni­ver­si­ty is anoth­er afford­able biol­o­gy degree. This pro­gram stud­ies the func­tion, evo­lu­tion and struc­ture of liv­ing organ­isms. Stu­dents learn about ani­mals, plants and humans while study­ing genet­ics, insects and dis­eases. Biol­o­gy majors must choose a minor in the nat­ur­al sci­ences (math­e­mat­ics, physics or chem­istry, for exam­ple). Stu­dents have 24 cred­its of biol­o­gy elec­tives that allow them to cus­tomize their degrees accord­ing to their inter­ests. There is also a BA in Biol­o­gy, which requires for­eign lan­guage com­pe­ten­cy instead of a sci­ence minor.

Wash­burn Uni­ver­si­ty helps stu­dents become their best selves. The school is an urban uni­ver­si­ty that offers a big-city feel to rur­al and small-town stu­dents. Wash­burn Uni­ver­si­ty pro­vides an afford­able edu­ca­tion and has a stu­dent-fac­ul­ty ratio of 22:1. Over half of the school’s class­es have less than 20 students.

What We Like: There are a vari­ety of schol­ar­ships avail­able for stu­dents in the Depart­ment of Biology.

Degree: BS in Biology

BS in Biol­o­gy — Wash­burn University

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Anoth­er of the most afford­able biol­o­gy degrees is the BS in Biol­o­gy from Geor­gia Tech. This afford­able biol­o­gy degree pro­gram pro­vides an excel­lent foun­da­tion in the life sci­ences and pre­pares stu­dents for careers in health and biol­o­gy-relat­ed fields. The pro­gram can be cus­tomized to suit the stu­den­t’s career goals and inter­ests. Stu­dents have the oppor­tu­ni­ty to par­tic­i­pate in teach­ing expe­ri­ences, intern­ships, inter­na­tion­al research trips, research cours­es and more. The cur­ricu­lum includes evo­lu­tion, ecol­o­gy, genet­ics, cell and mol­e­c­u­lar biol­o­gy and bio­log­i­cal processes.

Geor­gia Tech is a large research uni­ver­si­ty with almost 40,000 stu­dents from all 50 states and almost 150 coun­tries. Geor­gia Tech has some of the biggest and best com­put­ing and engi­neer­ing col­leges in the coun­try. Its busi­ness, sci­ence, lib­er­al arts and design pro­grams are also outstanding.

What We Like: Stu­dents can choose a con­cen­tra­tion in applied phys­i­ol­o­gy, inte­gra­tive biol­o­gy, marine sci­ence, envi­ron­men­tal sci­ence, com­pu­ta­tion­al and quan­ti­ta­tive biol­o­gy, bio-inspired design, bio­mol­e­c­u­lar tech­nol­o­gy or bio­med­ical science.

Degree: BS in Biology

BS in Biol­o­gy — Geor­gia Tech

10. University of South Alabama

The Uni­ver­si­ty of South Alaba­ma offers a BS in Biol­o­gy. This afford­able biol­o­gy degree pro­vides stu­dents with a sol­id back­ground in the bio­log­i­cal sci­ences. Stu­dents can choose a gen­er­al biol­o­gy degree or a con­cen­tra­tion in senior the­sis, marine biol­o­gy or envi­ron­men­tal sci­ence. Biol­o­gy majors must take 48 cred­it hours of gen­er­al edu­ca­tion cours­es, five biol­o­gy core cours­es and 26–29 hours of oth­er STEM cours­es. Required biol­o­gy core cours­es include cell biol­o­gy, genet­ics and ecol­o­gy and evolution.

The Uni­ver­si­ty of South Alaba­ma is a com­mu­ni­ty of learn­ers and lead­ers who chal­lenge and sup­port each oth­er through ser­vice, research and aca­d­e­m­ic expe­ri­ences. The school seeks to make a pos­i­tive impact on the Gulf Coast region and the world. USA encour­ages dis­cov­ery and cre­ativ­i­ty by con­nect­ing hands-on edu­ca­tion­al expe­ri­ences to real-world applications.

What We Like: Stu­dents major­ing in biol­o­gy must also com­plete a minor con­sist­ing of 18–24 cred­it hours.

Degree: BS in Biology

Uni­ver­si­ty of South Alaba­ma BS in Biology

Will a Certification Help My Career?

If a per­son doesn’t want to earn a com­plete online bachelor’s degree and already has either an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree in biol­o­gy, the per­son may want to con­sid­er earn­ing one of the biol­o­gy cer­ti­fi­ca­tions instead. Biol­o­gy cer­ti­fi­ca­tions allow a per­son to spe­cial­ize in a cer­tain area of biol­o­gy. There­fore, he or she can choose to learn about a par­tic­u­lar area of science.

Biol­o­gy cer­ti­fi­ca­tions can also help a per­son obtain jobs that he or she wouldn’t have been qual­i­fied for before he or she earned the cer­ti­fi­ca­tion. Biol­o­gy cer­ti­fi­ca­tions can also give a per­son a leg up on the com­pe­ti­tion. A per­son who has a biol­o­gy cer­ti­fi­ca­tion may be able to obtain a posi­tion that he or she wasn’t qual­i­fied for before he or she had a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, depend­ing on the job.

Online biol­o­gy cer­ti­fi­ca­tions show that a per­son took the ini­tia­tive to fur­ther his or her edu­ca­tion and learn more about the field. This is impres­sive to prospec­tive employers.

Online biol­o­gy cer­ti­fi­ca­tions could allow a per­son to get a raise at work or advance his or her posi­tion or take on new roles at his or her cur­rent job.

How Much Can I Make with a Degree in Biology?

Once a per­son decides to earn a biol­o­gy degree, he or she may search salary biol­o­gy degree before he or she takes the plunge and earns a degree in the field. When a per­son search­es salary biol­o­gy degree, a per­son will notice that the salary depends on the job he or she takes on. Some­times, a per­son may want to fur­ther his or her edu­ca­tion to an online mas­ter of sci­ence degree to earn even more than an entry-lev­el salary.

There are many career paths in biol­o­gy. Wildlife biol­o­gists may not make as much as biol­o­gists work­ing in phar­ma­ceu­ti­cals, for instance. The Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics is the best ref­er­ence for careers.

A degree in biol­o­gy salary for a biol­o­gist, for exam­ple, is $80,200. This is the same degree in biol­o­gy salary hourly wage of $38.56. If a per­son decides to become a biol­o­gist tech­ni­cian (bio­log­i­cal tech­ni­cian), the aver­age biol­o­gy degree salaries for this career is $45,860. As a per­son is com­par­ing biol­o­gy degree salaries, a per­son should know that he or she will make an aver­age of $22.05 per hour for this full-time position.

If a per­son decides to com­plete a biol­o­gy degree and takes biol­o­gy cours­es in zool­o­gy or wildlife biol­o­gy, a per­son can choose to become a zool­o­gist. A degree in biol­o­gy salary is $63,270 per year. A degree in biol­o­gy salary for this career is the same as $30.42 per hour.

A per­son can become a phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal sales rep, which can also earn a per­son a lucra­tive. With this par­tic­u­lar career, a degree in biol­o­gy salary can range any­where from $73,000 per year to over $100,000.

Keep in mind that a degree in biol­o­gy salary grows over time. A per­son can also take on a high­er salary if he or she choos­es to spe­cial­ize in a cer­tain area of biology.

The degree in biol­o­gy salary can also be high­er in cer­tain states and even cer­tain cities. Keep in mind that the bachelor’s degree in biol­o­gy salary is also high­er in cer­tain types of facil­i­ties as opposed to others.

A per­son should also con­sid­er that he or she can grow his or her bachelor’s degree in biol­o­gy salary by earn­ing a master’s degree. Even a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion can enhance the bachelor’s degree in biol­o­gy salary.

Can an Online Biology Degree Help Me Get into Medical School?

Online biol­o­gy pro­grams will pro­vide the fun­da­men­tals of biol­o­gy just like a con­ven­tion­al, on-cam­pus bach­e­lor of sci­ence in biol­o­gy. Online pro­grams have accred­i­ta­tion, and online stu­dents can go onto doc­tor­al pro­grams, or oth­er grad­u­ate pro­grams like a master’s pro­gram. Enroll­ment in med­ical school is extreme­ly com­pet­i­tive, how­ev­er, so online learn­ing may make it dif­fi­cult to get into med school.

How­ev­er, you can choose spe­cial­iza­tions that are bet­ter for med school, such as organ­ic chem­istry or immunol­o­gy. Online schools may offer few­er spe­cial­iza­tions, but low­er tuition rates for greater affordability.

Relat­ed Rankings:

25 Best Bach­e­lor’s in Biology

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Biology

10 Fastest Online Bach­e­lor’s in Biology