Best Online Biology Programs in Philadelphia, PA (2026)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs. Philadelphia has a population of about 1,582,432. Median household income is $60,698 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning biology-related role is Medical Scientist at a median $102,950 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Biology Schools to Philadelphia

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer biology programs near Philadelphia, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA 1.9 miles from Philadelphia BOC Score 68.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,727
Avg net price $28,198/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 104

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA 2.3 miles from Philadelphia BOC Score 64.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,416
Avg net price $19,409/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA 3.8 miles from Philadelphia BOC Score 75.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $86,881
Avg net price $29,689/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Thomas Jefferson University

Philadelphia, PA 4.3 miles from Philadelphia BOC Score 70.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $77,449
Avg net price $28,928/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine

Philadelphia, PA 4.4 miles from Philadelphia
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $138,767
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA 4.7 miles from Philadelphia BOC Score 71.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $84,648
Avg net price $38,509/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA 5.0 miles from Philadelphia BOC Score 83.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $111,371
Avg net price $28,699/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Chestnut Hill College

Philadelphia, PA 7.2 miles from Philadelphia BOC Score 45.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 74%
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,015
Avg net price $27,970/yr
Tuition
In‑state$39,870
Out‑of‑state$39,870
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Biology Wages Near Philadelphia

Philadelphia is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical Scientist$102,950Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$100,341
Biological Technician$60,630Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$59,094
Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist$78,540PA statewide$76,550
Soil and Plant Scientist$64,070Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$62,446

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.


Philadelphia at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population1,582,432Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$60,698Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+34.6%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)102.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Philadelphia-Area Cities With Biology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited biology schools are near Philadelphia, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Philadelphia. The closest is Temple University in Philadelphia, PA (1.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Rutgers University-Camden (4.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying biology roles near Philadelphia?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles near Philadelphia are: Medical Scientist ($102,950), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($78,540), Soil and Plant Scientist ($64,070). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Camden instead of Philadelphia?

Camden, NJ is 5.1 miles from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia an affordable place to study biology?

Philadelphia’s median household income of $60,698 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Philadelphia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Philadelphia

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

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.