How much debt do Bethel University (Minnesota) biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,552, which ranks 7th lowest of 25 biology bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $250 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Bethel University (Minnesota) worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 62% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Minnesota programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Bethel University (Minnesota) biology graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 72% (18 of 25) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
Saint Paul, MN
About 29 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bethel University (Minnesota) biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $37,924 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,552 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Minnesota.

First-year earnings$37,92483rd percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$68,53881% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,5527th lowest of 25 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings62%Minnesota median 70%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Bethel University (Minnesota)	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,924	$35,984	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$68,538	$66,856	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,552	$25,499	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	62%	70%	75%
Programs compared		25	795

Five years out, Bethel University (Minnesota) graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota biology program

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

Bethel University (Minnesota)Other Minnesota 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 81% between the first and fifth year.

Bethel University (Minnesota) grads, year 1$37,924

Bethel University (Minnesota) grads, year 5$68,538

All Minnesota biology grads, year 5$66,856

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 $250 a month, or 7.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (34 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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

72% of graduates (18 of 25) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $37,924 salary here buys what about $36,179 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

$76,460

Median pay in Minnesota. 16,020 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $49,160Top 10%: $121,220

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$89,950

Median pay in Minnesota. 6,760 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $65,140Top 10%: $141,070

Natural Sciences Managers

$136,450

Median pay in Minnesota. 1,530 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $78,050Top 10%: $289,790

Biological Technicians

$48,130

Median pay in Minnesota. 1,400 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $40,940Top 10%: $73,280

About Bethel University (Minnesota)

Tuition and fees	$44,226 / year
Average net price after aid	$28,556 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	71%
Undergraduate students	1,871

Biology ranks 10th of 12 bachelor's programs at Bethel University (Minnesota) by first-year earnings. The top three are Human Resources ($76,000), Nursing ($75,371), and Computer and Information Science ($73,942).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Saint Paul

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Bethel University (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit		$37,924	$23,552
University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	2 mi	$31,547	$23,875
Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	6 mi	$37,382	$27,000
University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	7 mi	$36,136	$21,218
Augsburg UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private nonprofit	7 mi	$35,984	$27,000
Concordia University-Saint PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	7 mi	$35,290	$26,393
University of St Thomas (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	8 mi	$36,072	$25,970
Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN · public	8 mi	$42,128	$28,619
Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	8 mi	$35,616	$21,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,924 one year after graduating and $68,538 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $35,984.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked25 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Bethel University (Minnesota) programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt