How much debt do Bates College biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $12,850, which ranks the lowest of 5 biology bachelor's programs in Maine. That works out to about $136 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Bates College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 42% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Maine programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Bates College Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit college
Lewiston, ME
About 43 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bates College biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $30,613 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $12,850 in federal loans, less than at 97% of biology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in Maine.

First-year earnings$30,61339th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Median federal debt$12,850The lowest of 5 Maine programs

Debt-to-earnings42%Maine median 76%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Bates College	Maine	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,613	$34,470	$32,212
Median federal debt at graduation	$12,850	$26,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	42%	76%	75%
Programs compared		6	795

Debt and first-year pay at every Maine biology program

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

Bates CollegeOther Maine programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $136 a month, or 5.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Lewiston area are about 5% below the national average, so a $30,613 salary here buys what about $32,314 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

$64,880

Median pay in Maine. 5,540 people work in this job in Maine. 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%: $47,520Top 10%: $83,450

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$93,730

Median pay in Maine. 100 people work in this job in Maine. 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%: $62,970Top 10%: $216,940

Natural Sciences Managers

$141,360

Median pay in Maine. 430 people work in this job in Maine. 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%: $81,950Top 10%: $220,730

Biological Technicians

$60,160

Median pay in Maine. 510 people work in this job in Maine. 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%: $46,450Top 10%: $79,510

About Bates College

Tuition and fees	$66,590 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,351 / year
Admission rate	13%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	90%
Undergraduate students	1,760

Biology ranks 8th of 8 bachelor's programs at Bates College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($71,187), Experimental Psychology ($47,376), and Sociology ($42,170).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Lewiston

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Bates CollegeLewiston, ME · private nonprofit		$30,613	$12,850
University of Southern MainePortland, ME · public	31 mi	$43,722	$25,125
University of Maine at FarmingtonFarmington, ME · public	39 mi	$33,300	$27,000
University of New EnglandBiddeford, ME · private nonprofit	46 mi	$34,910	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,613 one year after graduating. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Maine is $34,470.

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 Maine 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 Maine, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Bates College programs, ranked8 programs by pay and debt