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Best Biology Schools Near Beckley, WV (2026)
Updated September 6, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Beckley, West Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs, with tuition ranging from $26,770 to $42,539 per year for indexed programs. Beckley has a population of about 16,977. Median household income is $39,939 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In West Virginia, the top-earning biology-related role is Medical Scientist at a median $82,690 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Biology Schools to Beckley
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer biology programs near Beckley, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Beckley 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 Beckley.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all West Virginia schools on the West Virginia biology page.
Biology Wages Near Beckley
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (West Virginia, statewide)
Medical Scientist
$82,690
Biological Technician
$51,440
Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
N/A
Soil and Plant Scientist
N/A
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.
How many accredited biology schools are near Beckley, WV?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering biology programs near Beckley. The closest is West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, WV (0.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is West Virginia State University (51.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying biology roles in West Virginia?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying biology-related roles in West Virginia are: Medical Scientist ($82,690), Biological Technician ($51,440). Wages for Beckley workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Bluefield instead of Beckley?
Bluefield, WV is 36.5 miles from Beckley 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 Beckley an affordable place to study biology?
Beckley’s median household income of $39,939 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Beckley while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and West Virginia 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.
Data verified: September 6, 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.
