How much debt do Ashland University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 4th lowest of 28 biology bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Ashland University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 61% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Ohio programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do Ashland University biology graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 79% (23 of 29) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Ashland University Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
Ashland, OH
About 23 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ashland University biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $37,814 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$37,81483rd percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$51,74137% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,2504th lowest of 28 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings61%Ohio median 83%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Ashland University	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,814	$30,924	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$51,741	$61,961	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,250	$26,054	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	61%	83%	75%
Programs compared		28	795

Five years out, Ashland University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $10,220 less than the Ohio median. Several Ohio programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio biology program

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

Ashland UniversityOther Ohio 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 37% between the first and fifth year.

Ashland University grads, year 1$37,814

Ashland University grads, year 5$51,741

All Ohio biology grads, year 5$61,961

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 $246 a month, or 7.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (20 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

79% of graduates (23 of 29) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Ohio outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $37,814 salary here buys what about $42,819 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

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$83,910

Median pay in Ohio. 4,840 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $60,080Top 10%: $173,450

Natural Sciences Managers

$137,170

Median pay in Ohio. 1,560 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $78,720Top 10%: $217,760

Biological Technicians

$51,080

Median pay in Ohio. 2,240 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $36,400Top 10%: $79,490

About Ashland University

Tuition and fees	$31,210 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,988 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	2,199

Biology ranks 9th of 15 bachelor's programs at Ashland University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,445), Business Administration ($58,580), and Accounting ($55,407).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Ashland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Ashland UniversityAshland, OH · private nonprofit		$37,814	$23,250
College of WoosterWooster, OH · private nonprofit	21 mi	$32,462	$26,107
Oberlin CollegeOberlin, OH · private nonprofit	30 mi	$22,684	$23,250
Baldwin Wallace UniversityBerea, OH · private nonprofit	43 mi	$30,986	$27,000
University of AkronAkron, OH · public	45 mi	$32,050	$21,750
Malone UniversityCanton, OH · private nonprofit	49 mi	$22,005	$27,000
Walsh UniversityNorth Canton, OH · private nonprofit	50 mi	$31,250	$27,000
Kent StateKent, OH · public	55 mi	$30,118	$25,000
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	56 mi	$29,440	$26,144

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,814 one year after graduating and $51,741 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Ohio is $30,924.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Ashland University programs, ranked15 programs by pay and debt