How much debt do Columbia University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,892, which ranks 20th lowest of 64 biology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $211 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Columbia University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 49% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%.

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

Q: Do Columbia University biology graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 63% (22 of 35) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
New York, NY
About 57 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Columbia University biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $40,935 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,892 in federal loans, less than at 84% of biology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$40,93591st percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$69,31069% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,89220th lowest of 64 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings49%New York median 72%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Columbia University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,935	$32,288	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$69,310	$67,930	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,892	$24,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	49%	72%	75%
Programs compared		65	795

Five years out, Columbia University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York biology program

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

Columbia UniversityOther New York 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 69% between the first and fifth year.

Columbia University grads, year 1$40,935

Columbia University grads, year 5$69,310

All New York biology grads, year 5$67,930

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 $211 a month, or 6.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

63% of graduates (22 of 35) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $40,935 salary here buys what about $36,366 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

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$87,760

Median pay in New York. 7,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $67,490Top 10%: $177,510

Natural Sciences Managers

$134,680

Median pay in New York. 5,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $65,440Top 10%: $291,780

Biological Technicians

$61,210

Median pay in New York. 5,050 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $39,040Top 10%: $79,630

About Columbia University

Tuition and fees	$71,845 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,590 / year
Admission rate	4%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	96%
Undergraduate students	8,973

Biology ranks 20th of 26 bachelor's programs at Columbia University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($118,636), Operations Research ($110,457), and Computer Engineering ($102,083).

Other biology bachelor's programs near New York

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit		$40,935	$19,892
Barnard CollegeNew York, NY · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$47,329	$16,635
City College of New YorkNew York, NY · public	1 mi	$28,324	$12,348
Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · public	3 mi	$30,257	$12,598
Yeshiva UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	3 mi	$21,104	$20,500
Touro UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	4 mi	$21,733	$20,000
Fordham UniversityBronx, NY · private nonprofit	5 mi	$33,594	$26,640
Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	6 mi	$33,641	$16,500
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	6 mi	$30,913	$21,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,935 one year after graduating and $69,310 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in New York is $32,288.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked65 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Columbia University programs, ranked26 programs by pay and debt