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

  • Bachelor's in Biology, General
  • Private nonprofit college
  • Colorado Springs, CO

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Colorado College biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $36,571 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,513 in federal loans, less than at 81% of biology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in Colorado.

First-year earnings$36,57178th percentile of 795 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$49,76136% more than year one
Median federal debt$20,5132nd lowest of 11 Colorado programs
Debt-to-earnings56%Colorado median 71%, national 75%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Colorado College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,637 less than the Colorado median. Several Colorado programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado biology program

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

Colorado CollegeOther Colorado 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 36% between the first and fifth year.

Colorado College grads, year 1$36,571
Colorado College grads, year 5$49,761
All Colorado biology grads, year 5$54,398

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 $217 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Colorado Springs area are about 1% above the national average, so a $36,571 salary here buys what about $36,314 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

$72,900

Median pay in Colorado. 18,310 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $48,970Top 10%: $101,300

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$103,410

Median pay nationwide. 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.

Natural Sciences Managers

$152,730

Median pay in Colorado. 1,640 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $89,900Top 10%: $289,970

Biological Technicians

$59,400

Median pay in Colorado. 1,990 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $49,480Top 10%: $79,380

About Colorado College

Biology ranks 2nd of 3 bachelor's programs at Colorado College by first-year earnings. The others are Economics ($58,082) and Environmental Science and Conservation ($17,372).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Colorado Springs

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,571 one year after graduating and $49,761 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Colorado is $34,562.

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 Colorado 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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