Fort Collins, Colorado has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs, with tuition ranging from $13,373 to $34,783 per year for indexed programs. Fort Collins has a population of about 169,705. Median household income is $83,598 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 59.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area, the top-earning biology-related role is Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist at a median $84,240 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Biology Schools to Fort Collins
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer biology programs near Fort Collins, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Collins city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Fort Collins.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
89%
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$60,543
Avg net price
$21,279/yr
TuitionIn‑state$13,373
Out‑of‑state$34,783
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 52
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Colorado schools on the Colorado biology page.
Biology Wages Near Fort Collins
Fort Collins is part of the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area (BLS area code 22660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Medical Scientist | $66,420 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $65,697 |
| Biological Technician | $55,700 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $55,094 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $84,240 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $83,323 |
| Soil and Plant Scientist | $67,330 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $66,597 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Fort Collins at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 169,705 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $83,598 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 59.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 101.1 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Fort Collins-Area Cities With Biology Programs
- Loveland, CO – 9.1 mi away (76,897 pop)
- Windsor, CO – 9.5 mi away (22,776 pop)
- Johnstown, CO – 15.1 mi away (21,313 pop)
- Greeley, CO – 18.1 mi away (131,900 pop)
- Evans, CO – 21.3 mi away (21,615 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited biology schools are near Fort Collins, CO?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Fort Collins. The closest is Colorado State University-Fort Collins in Fort Collins, CO (1.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Metropolitan State University of Denver (55.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying biology roles near Fort Collins?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles near Fort Collins are: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($84,240), Soil and Plant Scientist ($67,330), Medical Scientist ($66,420). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Loveland instead of Fort Collins?
Loveland, CO is 9.1 miles from Fort Collins and has its own set of local biology programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Fort Collins an affordable place to study biology?
Fort Collins’s median household income of $83,598 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Collins while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Biology Programs
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Data verified: July 30, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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