---
title: Is a Biology, General degree worth the debt?
cip: 2601
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Biology, General degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **847** colleges (847 of 847 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $27,262 ($28,381 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $23,126 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.83× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $23,968–$30,731 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Associate's | $22,484 | $9,837 | 0.39× | 14 | 14/14 |
| Bachelor's | $27,262 | $23,126 | 0.83× | 847 | 847/847 |
| Master's | $37,295 | $37,101 | 1.14× | 58 | 58/58 |
| Doctoral | $56,517 | — | — | 8 | 8/8 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA) | $46,373 | — |
| Bowdoin College (ME) | $44,658 | — |
| Northeastern University Oakland (CA) | $43,916 | $24,802 |
| Northeastern University (MA) | $43,916 | $24,802 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs (MA) | $43,916 | $24,802 |
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) | $43,799 | $26,950 |
| Neumann University (PA) | $43,070 | $28,750 |
| Saint Anselm College (NH) | $42,835 | $27,000 |
| Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MA) | $42,359 | — |
| San Jose State University (CA) | $41,033 | — |
| Williams College (MA) | $41,029 | $13,492 |
| Suffolk University (MA) | $40,667 | $27,000 |
| Barnard College (NY) | $40,340 | $17,520 |
| Upper Iowa University (IA) | $40,071 | — |
| University of Pennsylvania (PA) | $39,783 | $15,000 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/biology-general.jsonld` · `/education/fields/biology-general.json`