Best Online Biology Programs in Champaign, IL (2026)

Champaign, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs, with tuition ranging from $16,144 to $34,309 per year for indexed programs. Champaign has a population of about 88,822. Median household income is $57,544 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area, the top-earning biology-related role is Medical Scientist at a median $85,030 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Biology Schools to Champaign

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer biology programs near Champaign, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Champaign 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:

  • 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 Champaign. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL 2.3 miles from Champaign BOC Score 90.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $81,054
Avg net price $14,355/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois biology page.


Biology Wages Near Champaign

Champaign is part of the Champaign-Urbana, IL metro area (BLS area code 16580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical Scientist$85,030Champaign-Urbana, IL$91,726
Biological Technician$64,270Champaign-Urbana, IL$69,331
Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist$79,780IL statewide$86,063
Soil and Plant Scientist$64,460Champaign-Urbana, IL$69,536

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.


Champaign at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population88,822Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$57,544Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+53.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Champaign-Area Cities With Biology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited biology schools are near Champaign, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Champaign. The closest is University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, IL (2.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Illinois State University (47.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying biology roles near Champaign?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles near Champaign are: Medical Scientist ($85,030), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($79,780), Soil and Plant Scientist ($64,460). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Urbana instead of Champaign?

Urbana, IL is 4.0 miles from Champaign 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 Champaign an affordable place to study biology?

Champaign’s median household income of $57,544 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Champaign while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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

Other Programs Available in Champaign

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Champaign:

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.