Top 7 Ivy League Colleges for Biology

Here is the list for ambitious young people who dream of pursuing studies in biology at some of the most elite universities in America – top 7 Ivy League colleges for biology. For years, Ivy League universities are ranked among the best educational institutions in the US. The only thing that changes is the place which these eight institutions occupy on different rankings. For instance, College Factual (CF), the website which compared 1,394 four-year institutions focusing on quality of education, starting salary, student loan rates, named Yale No. 1 College in America in 2015 while a year before PEN received this faltering title.

College Factual also creates ranking called Best colleges for the money, which is based on a comparison between total average cost and quality of education. Interestingly, Ivy universities do not score high on the list. Brown, for instance, which is the sixth best university in the US ranks as a 547th on the list. And thus comes to the question that many have asked before –  Are Ivy League colleges worth the money? If you look at different statistics showing how wealthy and influential Ivy’s alumni are, it turns out that every penny spent at some of these elite institutions is a smart investment. Of course, one can plausibly claim that Ivy alums have not acquired wealth or power because of the education they’ve received here, but that other factors have put them in prominent places. Studying at Ivy universities gives students access to people and institutions that they normally would not have, which can turn out to be a decisive moment in their careers. Additionally, many Ivies come from affluent, powerful families who can also open many doors. Finally, those who get into Harvard or Yale have demonstrated excellence in many areas so their future success can be seen as the logical outcome of talent coupled with ambition.

Colleges ranked below offer undergraduate and graduate programs in biology. As in our previous list of top 7 Ivy League colleges for medicine, here you will also discover that students profit from working with top-world researchers, including Nobel laureates, in laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment across numerous affiliated institutions.

In creating the ranking top 7 Ivy League colleges for biology, we used two sources – the US News list of best graduate programs in Biological Science and College Factual’s ranking of programs in biological and biomedical science. The first list was based on the results of surveys sent to academics in biological sciences, computer science, chemistry, mathematics, earth sciences, physics and statistics, while the former took into account following criteria  – costs, the number of annual graduates, percent of students studying biology, and average starting salary. This ranking is a combination of these two lists. Moreover, we considered whether biology specialties offered by individual university score among top 20 in the country. If they are, Ivy institutions received additional points.

7. Brown University

The US News rank: 34

College Factual rank: 64

Number of specialties among top-20 in the US: 1

Brown’s Program in biology is a part of Brown University’s Division of Biology and Medicine. It offers undergraduate courses at all levels of biological organization: molecular, cellular, organismal and population, as well as multidisciplinary programs. At the same time, biology graduates can choose from a wide range of more than 15-degree programs. Besides working under the supervision of top researchers, students at Brown benefit from access to numerous academic facilities with cutting-edge equipment.

With a score of 3.7, Brown’s University shares 34^th place with three no-Ivy universities in US News ranking of best graduate schools in biological science. Although this is the lowest position among Ivy institutions, the university did well on another US News rank Top ten colleges for a major in biology where it occupies fifth place. Additionally, Rhode Island’s University is listed as the 64^th institution on College Factual’s list while programs in Biomathematics and Bioinformatics, as well as in neurobiology and neuroscience rank among top 20 in the country. Brown has 86 percent of full-time teachers while graduation rate is 95 percent. Compared to other Ivy institutions on this list the college has a higher annual net price which is estimated at $45,429.

6. Columbia University

The US News rank: 14

College Factual rank: 43

Number of specialties among top-20 in the US: 1

Columbia Department of Biological Science has a long tradition dating back to 1966 when Zoology and Botany were merged into one department. A list of its faculty members includes some of the most prominent scientists, including Martin Chalfie, a Nobel laureate who won the prize in chemistry with Osamu Shimomura and Roger Y. Tsien “for the discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein, GFP”. Young Columbia’s scholars do not lag behind their older colleagues. For instance, since the beginning of this year young scientists Ozgur Sahin has won two prestigious recognitions – Young Scientist Award at World Economic Forum, and a 2016 Young Investigator Award from the Office of Naval Research.  The biology department offers undergraduate studies where students can choose one of five majors while their older colleagues can take graduate studies whose objective is to provide students with in-depth knowledge through seminars, research training, and teaching.

Columbia University ranks as 14th on US News list, and College Factual puts the institution in 43rd place. With a student to faculty ratio is 6:1, and 88 percent of students who graduate on time, there is little doubt about the quality of education at Columbia. Additionally, only 11 percent of freshmen take out loans which accounts for $7,952 on average.

5. Cornell University

The US News rank: 11

College Factual rank: 37

Number of specialties among top-20 in the US: 2

Cornell University offers undergraduate and graduate studies in biology. The university praises its undergraduate program for having more than 300 faculty members who teach over 380 courses and 14 concentrations. In addition, 70 percent of biology students have the opportunity to participate in research prior to graduation. At the same time, the graduate program offers specialties in a few areas ranging from biochemistry and cell biology to wildlife conservation.

With a score of 4.4 Cornell ranks as the 11th best program in biological science on US News list. Additionally, university’s program in Ecology/Evolutionary Biology is named second best in America. College Factual places biology program on 37th spot, while its graduates are the eleventh highest paying in the state. Student to faculty ratio of 9:1 is highest among institutions ranked here, but that does not prevent Cornell from having high on-time graduation rate (87 percent).

4. University of Pennsylvania

The US News rank: 19

College Factual rank:  28

Number of specialties among top-20 in the US: 3

Besides being able to choose among a variety of courses, PEN students who pursue undergraduate studies at Department of Biology can take a semester-long independent study, which gives them a chance for conducting research under the supervision of faculty members. Undergrads also benefit from the collaboration which PEN has established with many prestigious universities in Great Britain, including Oxford, University of Edinburgh, King’s College. Graduate students can choose to gain in-depth knowledge on numerous topics ranging from the behavior of molecules to that of cells, organisms, genomes, and ecosystems. Additionally, proximity to other departments and schools allow biology graduates to take full advantage of what other programs have to offer.

PEN university ranks lower on US News list compared to other two previously mentioned colleges. With a score of 4.1, it shares a 19th place with five non-Ivy institutions. However, according to US News, PEN’s graduate program in Immunology/Infectious Diseases is one of the best in America. At the same time, the university occupies a 28th place on the College Factual ranking which also places other biology programs at PEN among top 20 in the US. As said before Pennsylvania University was named the best college in 2014 while last year it slipped to third place. With 96 percent of full-time teachers, 87 percent of students graduate on time.

3. Princeton

The US News rank: 9

College Factual rank: 8

Number of specialties among top-20 in the US: 3

Biology at Princeton focuses on interdisciplinary approaches, collaboration and mobility between departments, and open curriculum. Graduate students can choose one of four core programs – Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, and Quantitative and Computational Biology while first three programs also admit undergraduate students. The Scientist named Princeton’s graduate school best in the US among other things because its faculty members received numerous prestigious awards.

There are a few reasons why one would want to get into Princeton. The university has 83 percent of full-time staff; the graduation rate is 96 percent, and average net price of $36,517 is the lowest on this list. According to College Factual, Princeton offers a few highest-rated programs in biological science in the US, while its biochemistry, biophysics, and molecular biology programs are named the best in America. At the same time, US News ranks graduate program in biological science as ninth.

2. Yale

The US News rank: 7

College Factual rank:  9

Number of specialties among top-20 in the US: 5

Undergraduate and graduate biology studies at Yale span across different departments, centers, institutes and programs which are part of different faculties and schools. Yale puts great emphasis on the interdisciplinary approach and its staff and students benefit from collaboration with colleagues from different fields.

According to College Factual Yale offers the best program for biology majors. At the same time, the site ranks its program in biological science as ninth best in America, while US News assigns it 7th place. Moreover, four specialties in biological science offered by Yale are among top six in the country, while the program in Cell Biology is named the best in the US. Compared to other Ivy institution on this list, Yale has the smallest percent of full-time teachers, but that does not influence the quality of provided education since 96 percent of students finish their studies on time. Finally, only eight percent of incoming students rely on loans to finance freshmen year’s cost which amounts to $4,923 on average.

1. Harvard

The US News rank: 1

College Factual rank:  3

Number of specialties among top-20 in the US: 10

Harvard University, which ranks as first on our list of top 7 Ivy League colleges for biology, offers undergraduate studies in life science where students can choose between nine concentrations out of which six are biology related. Graduate students can get advance knowledge at departments such as Molecular and cellular biology, Human evolutionary biology, Stem cell and regenerative biology and so on.

According to US News, Harvard has the best graduate program in biological science. Moreover, eight specialties offered by the university are among top six in the country. College Factual places Harvard at the third spot and also ranks its Ecology, Evolution, and Systematic Biology as number one programs in America. Full-time teachers account for 83 percent of all staff while 97 percent of students finish their studies on time, which represents the highest graduation rate on this list.