College Rankings

Best Biochemistry Schools

The top 25 of 137 U.S. colleges offering an undergraduate Biochemistry degree, ranked by early-career earnings and return on investment — using each school's real, aid-adjusted net price rather than sticker tuition.

Is Biochemistry worth it?

A biochemistry degree is one of the most reliable tickets into the booming life sciences sector, but the financial payoff depends entirely on how much you pay for the ticket. The value here is overwhelmingly found at low-cost public universities situated in major biotech corridors, rather than prestigious private institutions. If you study in a geography where pharmaceutical companies, agricultural tech firms, and research hospitals are clustered, a bachelor's degree pays for itself rapidly. The catch? If you take on massive debt at a private college in a region without a life sciences footprint, you will struggle to out-earn the interest on your loans with entry-level lab technician salaries.

Filter by state

#	School	State	Score	Median earnings	Net price / yr	10-yr net ROI
1	California State University-Los Angeles	CA	62	$50,428	$3,967†	+$488K
2	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	62	$49,100	$16,109†	+$427K
3	Northeastern University	MA	60	$63,781	$30,915	+$514K
4	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	CA	60	$57,538	$16,665†	+$509K
5	University of California-San Diego	CA	59	$45,066	$12,470†	+$401K
6	University of California-Davis	CA	58	$42,266	$14,741†	+$364K
7	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	NC	57	$44,101	$17,303†	+$372K
8	University of Missouri-St Louis	MO	56	$49,509	$15,071†	+$435K
9	Rutgers University-Camden	NJ	56	$46,122	$18,745†	+$386K
10	University of Massachusetts-Boston	MA	55	$50,352	$17,707†	+$433K
11	Purdue University-Main Campus	IN	55	$41,625	$14,600†	+$358K
12	California State University-Fullerton	CA	55	$38,869	$6,555†	+$362K
13	California State University-San Marcos	CA	54	$57,682	$10,229†	+$536K
14	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee	WI	54	$43,936	$15,014†	+$379K
15	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus	NH	53	$47,236	$23,805†	+$377K
16	Indiana University-Bloomington	IN	53	$45,526	$16,264†	+$390K
17	University of Wisconsin-Madison	WI	53	$44,074	$17,354†	+$371K
18	University of San Diego	CA	52	$48,728	$30,365	+$366K
19	Washington State University	WA	52	$46,514	$14,971†	+$405K
20	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	52	$46,122	$24,406†	+$364K
21	University of Massachusetts-Amherst	MA	52	$44,324	$22,383†	+$354K
22	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	52	$43,333	$14,967†	+$373K
23	University of Washington-Bothell Campus	WA	52	$38,985	$12,319†	+$341K
24	CUNY City College	NY	51	$44,175	$3,776†	+$427K
25	Iowa State University	IA	51	$43,520	$18,589†	+$361K
26	University of California-Santa Cruz	CA	51	$40,320	$17,890†	+$332K
27	University of Washington-Seattle Campus	WA	51	$38,985	$14,091†	+$333K
28	Towson University	MD	51	$36,842	$17,413†	+$299K
29	University of Colorado Boulder	CO	50	$50,474	$25,346†	+$403K
30	California State University-Northridge	CA	50	$45,453	$7,021†	+$426K
31	Central Connecticut State University	CT	50	$41,790	$16,857†	+$350K
32	University of Kansas	KS	50	$41,487	$18,059†	+$343K
33	Grinnell College	IA	50	$38,598	$17,648	+$315K
34	California State University-Long Beach	CA	50	$36,841	$10,440†	+$327K
35	California State University-Sacramento	CA	49	$46,689	$9,338†	+$430K
36	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point	WI	49	$46,155	$14,559†	+$403K
37	Texas State University	TX	49	$44,824	$16,805†	+$381K
38	University of California-Los Angeles	CA	49	$35,210	$12,548†	+$302K
39	University of Maryland-College Park	MD	48	$48,721	$15,678†	+$424K
40	Boston University	MA	48	$42,850	$24,402	+$331K
41	Princeton University	NJ	48	$41,848	$6,128	+$394K
42	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	MN	47	$37,830	$16,778†	+$311K
43	Michigan State University	MI	46	$38,243	$19,680†	+$304K
44	Ohio State University-Main Campus	OH	46	$36,427	$17,339†	+$295K
45	University of Illinois Chicago	IL	46	$34,308	$10,974†	+$299K
46	Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences	MA	45	$51,942	$39,545	+$361K
47	Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia	PA	45	$44,442	$29,689	+$326K
48	Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks	PA	45	$43,288	$24,356†	+$335K
49	University of Arizona	AZ	45	$35,607	$16,674†	+$289K
50	Temple University	PA	44	$45,994	$28,198†	+$347K
51	Rowan University	NJ	44	$38,799	$22,408†	+$298K
52	University of Vermont	VT	44	$36,680	$19,343†	+$289K
53	University of Michigan-Flint	MI	44	$32,221	$7,007†	+$294K
54	Metropolitan State University of Denver	CO	43	$45,799	$15,327†	+$397K
55	Portland State University	OR	43	$40,230	$9,552†	+$364K
56	Florida State University	FL	43	$31,074	$11,297†	+$266K
57	University of Delaware	DE	42	$47,912	$17,799†	+$408K
58	University of Missouri-Columbia	MO	42	$40,492	$20,268†	+$324K
59	University of North Texas	TX	42	$34,657	$15,649†	+$284K
60	University of Nevada-Reno	NV	42	$33,983	$15,927†	+$276K
61	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	42	$33,846	$19,857†	+$259K
62	University of Maryland-Baltimore County	MD	42	$30,275	$16,467†	+$237K
63	Boston College	MA	41	$42,474	$41,704	+$258K
64	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	CO	41	$38,484	$21,279†	+$300K
65	University of Houston	TX	41	$34,648	$14,276†	+$289K
66	University of Georgia	GA	41	$34,212	$13,936†	+$286K
67	University of Iowa	IA	41	$29,991	$22,531†	+$210K
68	Middle Tennessee State University	TN	41	$28,642	$13,359†	+$233K
69	Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus	PA	40	$43,288	$32,875†	+$301K
70	California State University-Chico	CA	40	$42,886	$14,480†	+$371K
71	University of California-Irvine	CA	40	$42,200	$14,251†	+$365K
72	University of Southern California	CA	40	$34,468	$32,740	+$214K
73	University of California-Riverside	CA	40	$30,077	$14,304†	+$244K
74	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus	GA	40	$25,623	$12,116†	+$208K
75	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus	OH	39	$48,348	$25,648†	+$381K
76	Utah State University	UT	39	$42,236	$14,936†	+$363K
77	Western Washington University	WA	39	$42,025	$21,193†	+$335K
78	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	39	$33,520	$17,747†	+$264K
79	Brigham Young University	UT	39	$31,225	$15,564	+$250K
80	University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	39	$31,150	$18,743†	+$237K
81	Brigham Young University-Idaho	ID	38	$35,779	$8,221	+$325K
82	Texas Tech University	TX	38	$32,027	$19,070†	+$244K
83	Stony Brook University	NY	38	$29,649	$18,784†	+$221K
84	Brandeis University	MA	37	$47,410	$35,736	+$331K
85	Stevenson University	MD	37	$46,637	$26,505	+$360K
86	Montclair State University	NJ	37	$41,068	$15,566†	+$348K
87	University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg	PA	37	$33,554	$17,945†	+$264K
88	University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown	PA	37	$33,554	$18,202†	+$263K
89	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MI	37	$26,151	$13,138†	+$209K
90	The University of Texas at El Paso	TX	37	$19,546	$9,403†	+$158K
91	University of North Carolina at Greensboro	NC	36	$36,783	$10,965†	+$324K
92	New York University	NY	36	$36,440	$37,050	+$216K
93	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	36	$35,927	$24,953†	+$259K
94	Vassar College	NY	35	$45,599	$39,343	+$299K
95	Middlebury College	VT	35	$44,142	$31,483	+$315K
96	Colgate University	NY	35	$44,089	$28,786	+$326K
97	Brown University	RI	35	$43,637	$25,184	+$336K
98	University of New Mexico-Main Campus	NM	35	$23,648	$15,489†	+$175K
99	Binghamton University	NY	34	$41,305	$21,620†	+$327K
100	Stockton University	NJ	34	$40,855	$20,670†	+$326K
101	Loyola University Chicago	IL	34	$38,487	$36,079	+$241K
102	Kennesaw State University	GA	34	$29,938	$15,048†	+$239K
103	Oklahoma State University-Main Campus	OK	33	$29,720	$17,447†	+$227K
104	Mississippi State University	MS	32	$30,565	$17,595†	+$235K
105	The University of Texas at Dallas	TX	32	$30,207	$18,267†	+$229K
106	Ursinus College	PA	31	$40,294	$30,536	+$281K
107	Cornell College	IA	31	$39,164	$23,634	+$297K
108	Augustana College	IL	30	$38,436	$22,736	+$293K
109	SUNY College at Geneseo	NY	30	$37,206	$18,211†	+$299K
110	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	PA	29	$33,554	$30,434†	+$214K
111	Texas A&M University-College Station	TX	29	$28,338	$21,315†	+$198K
112	University of Idaho	ID	28	$34,251	$14,831†	+$283K
113	California State University-Fresno	CA	28	$26,380	$7,000†	+$236K
114	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus	OR	27	$34,566	$18,048†	+$273K
115	Georgia Southern University	GA	27	$33,408	$15,267†	+$273K
116	Oregon State University	OR	26	$34,566	$19,604†	+$267K
117	University at Albany	NY	26	$33,266	$17,167†	+$264K
118	Dickinson College	PA	25	$35,305	$37,607	+$203K
119	University of Richmond	VA	25	$34,796	$31,309	+$223K
120	University of Hawaii at Manoa	HI	25	$32,599	$15,664†	+$263K
121	Baylor University	TX	25	$30,496	$41,104	+$141K
122	University of St Thomas	MN	24	$34,299	$29,155	+$226K
123	Clemson University	SC	24	$28,120	$22,253†	+$192K
124	Lewis & Clark College	OR	23	$33,002	$36,013	+$186K
125	University of Denver	CO	22	$32,613	$36,131	+$182K
126	Grand Valley State University	MI	22	$30,141	$16,317†	+$236K
127	State University of New York at Oswego	NY	21	$29,135	$16,236†	+$226K
128	Kansas State University	KS	20	$29,651	$19,406†	+$219K
129	Case Western Reserve University	OH	20	$22,390	$41,190	+$59K
130	Hendrix College	AR	19	$28,322	$24,149	+$187K
131	Old Dominion University	VA	19	$25,819	$14,638†	+$200K
132	University of Mississippi	MS	19	$24,972	$13,314†	+$196K
133	Point Loma Nazarene University	CA	18	$27,604	$38,729	+$121K
134	University of South Carolina-Columbia	SC	17	$23,763	$22,811†	+$146K
135	Lipscomb University	TN	17	$23,075	$24,739	+$132K
136	Syracuse University	NY	17	$22,693	$38,793	+$72K
137	University of Miami	FL	16	$21,666	$37,244	+$68K

Top 10 programs by 10-year net ROI

How to read this: Median earnings = typical pay one year after graduation. Net price = average annual cost after grant aid, incl. living costs — not sticker tuition. 10-yr net ROI = ten years of earnings minus four years of net price. Score = the CollegeRanked Score (0–100) that sets the order — it blends ROI with longer-run earnings, job demand and automation resilience, so a school can outrank one with a slightly higher 10-yr ROI. † = public university — net price shown is the in-state cost; out-of-state students pay more. See the full methodology.

Why these schools rank where they do

The dominance of California public schools on this list isn’t a coincidence—it is a direct reflection of the state's massive, hungry biotech ecosystem. California State University-Los Angeles takes the #1 spot because it offers an incredibly low-cost education while sitting in the heart of Southern California's life sciences boom. Cal State LA hosts the LA BioSpace incubator on campus, and its graduates are heavily recruited as bench scientists and quality control analysts by regional giants like Amgen and Grifols, as well as a sprawling network of clinical testing labs.

Northeastern University (#3) is the rare expensive private school to break into the top tier, entirely because of its legendary co-op program. Northeastern biochemistry students routinely spend six months working full-time at Moderna, Pfizer, or Sanofi in the Boston area before they even graduate, virtually guaranteeing high-paying job offers upon commencement.

Geography is the ultimate cheat code for this major. Look at University of California-San Diego (#5), which feeds directly into the dense cluster of genomics and biotech firms in La Jolla, like Illumina. Similarly, schools that might lack global name recognition but sit in major pharma corridors punch well above their weight. Rutgers-Camden (#9) leverages its proximity to the New Jersey and Philadelphia pharmaceutical belt to place students at Johnson & Johnson and GSK, while UMass Boston (#10) provides a highly affordable back door into the Kendall Square biotech monster.

What is Biochemistry?

Biochemistry is the study of life at the molecular level, bridging the gap between biology and chemistry to understand how cells, proteins, and DNA actually work. Day-to-day, graduates are usually in the lab—running assays, developing therapeutics, analyzing genetic data, or ensuring quality control for pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to live in a biotech hub to get a good job?

You don't have to, but it makes a massive difference in your career trajectory. Cities like Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, and Raleigh's Research Triangle have intense competition for talent. This drives up entry-level salaries, provides a safety net if your startup folds, and offers much faster upward mobility than you'll find in regions with only one or two local science employers.

What's the difference between biology and biochemistry for employment?

Biochemistry is generally more quantitative and heavily focused on analytical lab techniques. Employers in pharmaceuticals and manufacturing often prefer biochemistry grads over general biology grads because they come pre-trained in the specific physical chemistry and molecular techniques used in drug development, protein purification, and quality control.

Will I just be washing beakers as an entry-level grad?

Entry-level roles often start with routine bench work—running standard assays, preparing samples, or doing quality assurance checks. However, grads from programs with heavy undergraduate research requirements or applied co-ops (like Cal Poly SLO or Northeastern) often skip the most tedious entry-level tasks and move straight into associate scientist roles where they help design experiments.

Should I get a BA or a BS in biochemistry?

If you want to work in a lab or go into industry, get the Bachelor of Science (BS). It requires more rigorous math, physics, and physical chemistry courses, which hiring managers actively look for on transcripts. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is usually better suited for those pivoting away from the bench into science journalism, technical sales, or pre-law.