Accreditation for Biology
High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). That accreditation includes the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Biology offered by the Wanek School of Natural Sciences, the biology minor and the health sciences track.
From HPU Biology to Medical and Graduate School
Medical schools and graduate programs look for research experience, letters from faculty who know a student’s work. HPU biology students present at the Association of Southeastern Biologists and national forums, and graduates have entered medical, veterinary, pharmacy and graduate programs including Johns Hopkins, Duke and NC State.
University Accreditation
High Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and has been continuously accredited since 1951. SACSCOC has granted HPU Level V status, which authorizes a university to award doctoral degrees.
The Wanek School of Natural Sciences
The Wanek School of Natural Sciences is a community of more than 450 scientist scholars in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, neuroscience and physics, with an average student-to-faculty ratio of 17 to 1. Its faculty are internationally recognized for published research and for their approach to undergraduate teaching.
The school sits on the Innovation Corridor, a half-mile stretch of campus dedicated to STEM that includes the Caine Conservatory, a 15,000-square-foot space with a classroom, working greenhouse and planting display.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute SEA-PHAGES
Biology majors can apply to SEA-PHAGES, run with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. In their first-year lab course, students isolate viruses that infect bacteria from soil they collect, sequence the viral DNA and identify its genes, joining an international research community and the publications that follow.
In the course’s first semester, first-year student Eleanor Lee discovered a new bacteriophage, which she named Youngsook.
National Presentations
Biology students present at the Association of Southeastern Biologists and at national meetings. Five students presented lens-aging research from Dr. Jeremy Whitson’s lab at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting in Denver.
Funded Faculty Research
Biology faculty research is supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, with projects on plant adaptation to cloud cover, insect response to prescribed fire and a shared cell culture facility.
Biology Program Ranking
College Factual ranked High Point University #5 in its 2027 Best General Biology Schools in North Carolina list, which weighs graduation rates, earnings after graduation, affordability and program focus. HPU also ranks #10 in the Southeast Region.
Niche ranks High Point University #14 in its 2027 Best Colleges for Biology in North Carolina list, which uses U.S. Department of Education data and student reviews.
Student Honors
Sophia Cina, a biology graduate who completed the pre-physician assistant track, received HPU’s Elizabeth Miller Strickland Trailblazer Award. Tyler Matthew received the University Award for Service after managing the aquaculture facility and conducting zebrafish research, and is now earning a Doctor of Dental Surgery at UNC Chapel Hill.
At HPU’s 2026 research symposium, biology student Evan Mills won best oral presentation.
Recognition for Undergraduate Research
The Council on Undergraduate Research named High Point University the recipient of its 2025 Campus-Wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments, judged against CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.
High Point University Rankings
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2027 ranks High Point University #1 for Most Innovative Schools and #3 for Best Undergraduate Teaching among Regional Universities in the South. HPU also ranks #1 in its category for Earnings by Major, a new U.S. News factor that measures what graduates earn four years after leaving campus.
The Princeton Review’s Best 392 Colleges: 2027 Edition ranks High Point University #3 for Best-Run Colleges, #3 for Best College Dorms and #3 for Most Beautiful Campus. HPU is the only university in North Carolina ranked in the top 5 for all three.
Niche’s 2027 rankings place High Point University #1 in North Carolina for Best College Campuses, Best College Dorms and Best College Food, and #8 in North Carolina for Colleges with the Best Professors.
Measured by National Association of Colleges and Employers standards, 99% of HPU’s Class of 2025 was employed or continuing their education within 180 days, 13 points above the national average.
Explore Biology at High Point University
See the courses biology majors take and where HPU biology graduates go next.
Curriculum & Research Careers & Student Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Matthew Talbert at [email protected].