Best Online Biology Programs in Lexington, SC (2026)

Lexington, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs. Lexington has a population of about 24,132. Median household income is $83,263 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Columbia, SC metro area, the top-earning biology-related role is Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist at a median $79,580 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Biology Schools to Lexington

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

#1

University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC 11.1 miles from Lexington BOC Score 74.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,177
Avg net price $22,811/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Columbia College

Columbia, SC 11.5 miles from Lexington BOC Score 37.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,338
Avg net price $18,408/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Benedict College

Columbia, SC 11.5 miles from Lexington BOC Score 16.1
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,902
Avg net price $18,250/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Allen University

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington BOC Score 32.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $30,497
Avg net price $10,972/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Newberry College

Newberry, SC 30.8 miles from Lexington BOC Score 42.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,040
Avg net price $21,656/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Claflin University

Orangeburg, SC 39.8 miles from Lexington BOC Score 44.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,304
Avg net price $17,800/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

South Carolina State University

Orangeburg, SC 40.0 miles from Lexington BOC Score 29.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,262
Avg net price $18,097/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of South Carolina Aiken

Aiken, SC 42.7 miles from Lexington BOC Score 44.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,603
Avg net price $11,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 66%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Biology Wages Near Lexington

Lexington is part of the Columbia, SC metro area (BLS area code 17900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical ScientistN/ASC statewide
Biological Technician$53,040SC statewide$56,606
Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist$79,580Columbia, SC$84,931
Soil and Plant Scientist$78,850SC statewide$84,152

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.


Lexington at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population24,132Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$83,263Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+48.0%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)93.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Lexington-Area Cities With Biology Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited biology schools are near Lexington, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Lexington. The closest is University of South Carolina-Columbia in Columbia, SC (11.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Newberry College (30.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying biology roles near Lexington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles near Lexington are: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($79,580), Soil and Plant Scientist ($78,850), Biological Technician ($53,040). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Columbia instead of Lexington?

Columbia, SC is 18.4 miles from Lexington 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 Lexington an affordable place to study biology?

Lexington’s median household income of $83,263 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lexington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Carolina 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 Lexington

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

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.