How much debt do Arkansas State biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,500, which ranks 7th lowest of 9 biology bachelor's programs in Arkansas. That works out to about $239 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Arkansas State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 87% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Arkansas programs before deciding.

Arkansas State Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Arkansas State biology graduates stay in Arkansas?

Most do. 63% (19 of 30) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Jonesboro, AR
About 62 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Arkansas State biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $25,730 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Arkansas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$25,73013th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,828133% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,5007th lowest of 9 Arkansas programs

Debt-to-earnings87%Arkansas median 76%, national 75%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Arkansas and national columns are the medians across all biology bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Arkansas State	Arkansas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,730	$27,992	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,828	$59,700	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,500	$21,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	87%	76%	75%
Programs compared		9	795

Five years out, Arkansas State graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Arkansas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas biology program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Arkansas medians.

Arkansas StateOther Arkansas programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 133% between the first and fifth year.

Arkansas State grads, year 1$25,730

Arkansas State grads, year 5$59,828

All Arkansas biology grads, year 5$59,700

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $239 a month, or 11.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (58 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

63% of graduates (19 of 30) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating. Prices in the Jonesboro area are about 14% below the national average, so a $25,730 salary here buys what about $29,962 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to biology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$59,660

Median pay in Arkansas. 12,890 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,430Top 10%: $75,760

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$72,530

Median pay in Arkansas. 230 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,050Top 10%: $183,430

Natural Sciences Managers

$119,430

Median pay in Arkansas. 340 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $72,080Top 10%: $226,370

Biological Technicians

$46,930

Median pay in Arkansas. 420 people work in this job in Arkansas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $34,920Top 10%: $73,750

About Arkansas State

In-state tuition and fees	$8,090 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$14,522 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,366 / year
Admission rate	82%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	9,110

Biology ranks 28th of 28 bachelor's programs at Arkansas State by first-year earnings. The top three are Mechanical Engineering ($74,284), Nursing ($73,423), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($60,202).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,730 one year after graduating and $59,828 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $27,992.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Arkansas comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the biology program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Biology bachelor's programs in Arkansas, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Arkansas State programs, ranked30 programs by pay and debt