How much debt do CSUN microbiology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $7,500, which ranks the lowest of 12 microbiology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $80 a month over 10 years.

Is a microbiology degree from CSUN worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 16% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

CSUN Microbiology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
Public university
Northridge, CA

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

CSUN microbiology graduates earn more than graduates of most microbiology programs nationally, $46,489 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $7,500 in federal loans, less than at 95% of microbiology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying microbiology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$46,48984th percentile of 55 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$72,19955% more than year one

Median federal debt$7,500The lowest of 12 California programs

Debt-to-earnings16%California median 36%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	CSUN	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$46,489	$46,005	$38,726
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$72,199	$75,097	$65,144
Median federal debt at graduation	$7,500	$14,904	$21,868
Debt as share of first-year pay	16%	36%	55%
Programs compared		13	55

Five years out, CSUN graduates earn more than the national figure but about $2,898 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every California microbiology program

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

CSUNOther California 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 55% between the first and fifth year.

CSUN grads, year 1$46,489

CSUN grads, year 5$72,199

All California microbiology grads, year 5$75,097

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 $80 a month, or 2.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $46,489 salary here buys what about $40,936 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 microbiology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Medical and Health Services Managers

$141,480

Median pay in California. 75,090 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 24% from 2025 to 2035, with about 62,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $72,800Top 10%: $274,660

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$136,990

Median pay in California. 29,830 people work in this job in California. 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%: $81,320Top 10%: $180,060

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,230

Median pay in California. 14,950 people work in this job in California. 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%: $130,730Top 10%: $330,050

Biological Technicians

$71,440

Median pay in California. 9,210 people work in this job in California. 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%: $46,700Top 10%: $121,670

About CSUN

In-state tuition and fees	$7,458 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,058 / year
Average net price after aid	$7,021 / year
Admission rate	93%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	32,691

Microbiology ranks 17th of 57 bachelor's programs at CSUN by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($106,780), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($100,724), and Construction Engineering Technology ($79,352).

Other microbiology bachelor's programs near Northridge

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public		$46,489	$7,500
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	13 mi	$36,403	$14,000
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	24 mi	$39,266	$19,334

Common questions

The median graduate earns $46,489 one year after graduating and $72,199 five years after. The median across microbiology bachelor's programs in California is $46,005.

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 California 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 microbiology 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

Microbiology bachelor's programs in California, ranked13 programs by pay and debt Microbiology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked55 programs by pay and debt All CSUN programs, ranked57 programs by pay and debt