How much debt do Clark University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,084, which ranks 14th lowest of 32 biology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $277 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Clark University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Massachusetts programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Clark University biology graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 60% (21 of 35) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
Worcester, MA
About 42 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Clark University biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $37,590 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,084 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,59082nd percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$64,99273% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,08414th lowest of 32 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Massachusetts median 60%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Clark University	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,590	$41,879	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$64,992	$67,969	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,084	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	60%	75%
Programs compared		32	795

Five years out, Clark University graduates earn more than the national figure but about $2,977 less than the Massachusetts median. Several Massachusetts programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts biology program

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

Clark UniversityOther Massachusetts 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 73% between the first and fifth year.

Clark University grads, year 1$37,590

Clark University grads, year 5$64,992

All Massachusetts biology grads, year 5$67,969

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 $277 a month, or 8.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (51 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–39%
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

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

60% of graduates (21 of 35) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Worcester area are about 3% above the national average, so a $37,590 salary here buys what about $36,665 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

$95,260

Median pay in Massachusetts. 28,460 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $61,500Top 10%: $122,660

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$128,210

Median pay in Massachusetts. 17,100 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $77,790Top 10%: $208,490

Natural Sciences Managers

$267,290

Median pay in Massachusetts. 10,590 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $153,490Top 10%: $329,820

Biological Technicians

$62,070

Median pay in Massachusetts. 8,430 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $49,880Top 10%: $94,760

About Clark University

Tuition and fees	$58,867 / year
Average net price after aid	$28,714 / year
Admission rate	40%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	77%
Undergraduate students	2,214

Biology ranks 2nd of 8 bachelor's programs at Clark University by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($43,449), Biology ($37,590), and Environmental Science and Conservation ($34,500).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Worcester

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Clark UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit		$37,590	$26,084
College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	1 mi	$43,276	$27,000
Worcester StateWorcester, MA · public	2 mi	$44,450	$23,625
WPIWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	2 mi	$51,711	$26,999
Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$42,252	$27,000
Framingham StateFramingham, MA · public	20 mi	$42,472	$24,999
Fitchburg StateFitchburg, MA · public	23 mi	$41,250	$27,000
Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$36,621	$10,159
Regis CollegeWeston, MA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$43,589	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,590 one year after graduating and $64,992 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $41,879.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked32 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Clark University programs, ranked8 programs by pay and debt