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Computational biologist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a computational biologist. Computational biologists usually study biology, computer science, or biostatistics. 53% of computational biologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 95 real computational biologist resumes to see exactly what computational biologist education sections show.
The most common colleges for computational biologists are the Cornell University and the Cornell University.
There are also many online computational biologist courses to help get the education required to be a computational biologist.
What education do you need to become a computational biologist?
What degree do you need to be a computational biologist?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- Master's, 25%
- Doctorate, 19%
- Diploma, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a computational biologist?
- Biology, 18%
- Computer Science, 18%
- Biostatistics, 16%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for computational biologists
| Computational biologist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Cornell University | 10.81% |
| University of Southern California | 8.11% |
| University of Washington | 8.11% |
| University of Colorado at Boulder | 5.41% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 5.41% |
Best majors for computational biologists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biology | 18.1% |
| 2 | Computer Science | 18.1% |
| 3 | Biostatistics | 15.7% |
| 4 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 8.4% |
| 5 | Mathematics | 4.8% |
Best colleges for computational biologists
The best colleges for computational biologists are Harvard University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
A computational biologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for computational biologists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become computational biologists.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
In-state tuition
$49,816
Enrollment
6,840
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
10. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
20 best online courses for computational biologists
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Top 10 most affordable universities for computational biologists
The most affordable schools for computational biologists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for computational biologists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for computational biologists.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
8. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for computational biologists
The hardest universities for computational biologists to get into are Harvard University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for computational biologists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for computational biologists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
10. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for computational biologists
The easiest schools for computational biologists to get into are Barry University, our lady of the lake university, and la roche college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a computational biologist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for computational biologists.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
3. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
6. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
7. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
8. Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,072
9. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average computational biologist salary by education level
| Computational biologist education level | Computational biologist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $64,255 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $57,391 |
| Doctorate Degree | $77,707 |
Computational biologist education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025