Top 10 universities for life sciences degrees 2025

Insights into the top 10 ranked universities for life sciences 2025

Explore the full table for the best universities for life sciences here. 

The top universities for life sciences, according to Times Higher Education’s ranking for life sciences, are concentrated in the US and the UK: 198 of the 1,143 universities in the ranking are in these two countries. Other nations that are well represented in this ranking include China, Japan and Germany.

Older, prestigious institutions take the top spots, with Harvard University taking first place, closely followed by the University of Cambridge. 

Graduates of life sciences degrees go on to work in a variety of fields including teaching, research, law and finance. Many jobs directly use life science research and knowledge, such as roles in pharmaceutical companies, environmental work and forensic science.

The life sciences ranking assesses universities using 18 indicators of excellence that evaluate teaching, research, research influence and international outlook. The full methodology can be found here.

Top 10 universities for life sciences degrees

1. Harvard University

As is the case at many US colleges, undergraduates at Harvard University have the opportunity to take a variety of courses before declaring a major subject.

Within life sciences, there are many interdisciplinary foundational courses grouped in nine concentrations to help students “explore the diversity of living systems”. The majors include biomedical engineering, neurobiology and human evolutionary biology.

According to the university, life sciences graduates often go on to postgraduate work, including medical or scientific research. Other graduates have pursued careers in business, consulting and environmental advocacy.

Harvard is perhaps the world’s best-known university; it regularly takes the top spot in global reputation surveys. It has built its reputation, wealth and influence over more than 400 years, having been founded in 1636.

Although tuition is expensive, students from low-income families are fully supported by university grants.

2. University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge’s School of Biological Sciences comprises nine departments and various research centres, including the departments of biochemistry, pharmacology and zoology.

There is also a Graduate School of Life Sciences, which is responsible for master’s degrees and doctorates.

Four major undergraduate programmes in life sciences are offered: biological sciences as a natural science specialism, a preclinical veterinary science programme, a psychological and behavioural sciences programme, and medical science.

Students have close interaction with teachers through the tutorial system and are automatically members of their college communities, where they eat meals, live in college-owned buildings and attend recreational activities.

Charles Darwin, perhaps the most famous life scientist of them all, was an alumnus of Christ’s College, Cambridge, and many other prominent biologists have studied or taught at the university.

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Many academic departments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offer courses in life sciences subjects to contribute towards a major or minor degree subject.

Courses range from biological engineering – a discipline that combines principles of engineering and biological systems – to “science, technology and society”, which offers a more comprehensive overview of life sciences.

MIT offers undergraduate and postgraduate life sciences degrees. Although an undergraduate major in a life sciences subject is excellent preparation for many jobs, further study in health sciences or engineering is a common post-graduation option.

Many life sciences graduates will continue on to medical school. Other career paths suggested by the School of Life Sciences are finance, intellectual property law and forensics.

4. University of Oxford

Life sciences degrees at the University of Oxford are spread across a number of specialised departments within both the science and the clinical divisions of the institution.

Many world-leading academics work at Oxford. Richard Dawkins, the famous evolutionary biologist, is affiliated to the university and can often be seen around town or at public events.

Oxford students each belong to a college, where they live, eat and attend small-group tutorials with teachers. Postgraduate students are more likely to live off campus and will not necessarily be taught within their colleges.

Life sciences courses available at the University of Oxford include biology and earth sciences. 

5. Stanford University

Stanford University is particularly renowned for science and innovation, and university researchers, students and alumni contribute significantly to technological development in nearby Silicon Valley.

Stanford’s department of biology leads the way on life sciences research, while the bioengineering department fuses engineering and life sciences by inventing new technologies.

The biology department offers courses in biochemistry, biophysics, computational biology, conservational biology and many other sub-disciplines.

Many Stanford alumni have won prestigious accolades, such as Nobel prizes, Rhodes scholarships and Turing awards.

Of the more than 15,000 students, at least 20 per cent are international.

6. Yale University

Biology at Yale University can be studied across a range of departments and faculties. Courses include cell biology, genetics, neurobiology and ecology and evolutionary biology.

A number of research institutes also conduct life sciences research, including the West Campus Cancer Biology Institute and the Yale Stem Cell Centre.

7. Princeton University

Princeton University is one of the oldest universities in the US and is considered among its most prestigious.

It is also one of the world’s foremost research universities, with connections to more than 40 Nobel laureates, 17 winners of the National Medal of Science and five recipients of the National Humanities Medal.

The university follows a liberal arts curriculum, and undergraduates can choose to pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Students can study a range of subjects and declare their major in their first or second year.

Undergraduate programmes within the life sciences discipline available at Princeton include molecular biology, ecology and evolutionary biology and environmental studies.

8. University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley is part of the University of California system. 

Departments in the biological sciences division include neuroscience and molecular and cell biology. 

There are also a range of museums at the university that students can visit including the Museum of Paleontology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. 

9. Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University is home to 27 research laboratories within its life sciences division. 

The department of biology offers an undergraduate programme leading to a BA or a BSc as well as a five-year programme resulting in a combined bachelor’s and master’s qualification. These programmes offer an overview of scientific techniques and principles and will enable students to go on to postgraduate degrees in medicine, veterinary science and dentistry.

The course covers topics such as genetic organisation, biological macromolecules and organ systems in mammals and other organisms. 

The university also offers a postgraduate programme in cell, molecular and developmental biology and biophysics. 

10. California Institute of Technology

Caltech’s Division of Biology and biological engineering offers a range of programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level. 

Undergraduate options include neurobiology, cell and molecular biology and bioengineering. Graduate degree options include geobiology, medical engineering and neurobiology.