Arkansas Tech University Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Biology, General
- Public university
- Russellville, AR
- About 25 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Arkansas Tech University biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $29,596 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,640 in federal loans, less than at 92% of biology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in Arkansas.
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.
Five years out, Arkansas Tech University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $1,979 less than the Arkansas median. Several Arkansas programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
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.
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 95% between the first and fifth year.
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 $176 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
87% of graduates (20 of 23) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Arkansas outside metro areas are about 17% below the national average, so a $29,596 salary here buys what about $35,678 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
$59,660Median 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.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
$72,530Median 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.
Natural Sciences Managers
$119,430Median 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.
Biological Technicians
$46,930Median 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.
About Arkansas Tech University
Biology ranks 18th of 23 bachelor's programs at Arkansas Tech University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($71,878), Nursing ($68,794), and Mechanical Engineering ($68,765).
Other biology bachelor's programs near Russellville
Common questions
The median graduate earns $29,596 one year after graduating and $57,721 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $27,992.
The median federal loan balance is $16,640, which ranks the lowest of 9 biology bachelor's programs in Arkansas. That works out to about $176 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%.
Most do. 87% (20 of 23) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating.
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