---
title: Is a Genetics degree worth the debt?
cip: 2608
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 Genetics degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **9** colleges (9 of 9 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $33,038 ($34,847 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $21,500 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.72× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $30,438–$33,912 — 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $33,038 | $21,500 | 0.72× | 9 | 9/9 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purdue University-Main Campus (IN) | $39,698 | $15,000 |
| University of New Hampshire-Main Campus (NH) | $37,487 | $26,994 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI) | $33,912 | $19,500 |
| Michigan State University (MI) | $33,587 | $25,000 |
| University of California-Davis (CA) | $33,038 | $13,848 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick (NJ) | $30,538 | $26,608 |
| Iowa State University (IA) | $30,438 | $21,631 |
| Clemson University (SC) | $28,199 | $21,500 |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus (OH) | $21,648 | $20,182 |

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/genetics.jsonld` · `/education/fields/genetics.json`