How much debt do Dillard University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $31,376, which ranks 12th lowest of 14 biology bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $333 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Dillard University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 131% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
New Orleans, LA
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Dillard University biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $23,999 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $31,376 in federal loans, more than at 98% of biology programs in the country. Several Louisiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$23,9999th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$48,297101% more than year one

Median federal debt$31,37612th lowest of 14 Louisiana programs

Debt-to-earnings131%Louisiana median 93%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Dillard University	Louisiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,999	$26,121	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$48,297	$50,054	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$31,376	$22,709	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	131%	93%	75%
Programs compared		14	795

Five years out, Dillard University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $1,757 less than the Louisiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana biology program

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

Dillard UniversityOther Louisiana 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 101% between the first and fifth year.

Dillard University grads, year 1$23,999

Dillard University grads, year 5$48,297

All Louisiana biology grads, year 5$50,054

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 $333 a month, or 16.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

36 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $21,334.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the New Orleans area are about 7% below the national average, so a $23,999 salary here buys what about $25,918 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

$59,850

Median pay in Louisiana. 15,210 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $47,590Top 10%: $79,720

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

$115,950

Median pay in Louisiana. 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%: $81,890Top 10%: $212,130

Biological Technicians

$47,310

Median pay in Louisiana. 190 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $32,390Top 10%: $77,400

About Dillard University

Tuition and fees	$23,918 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,094 / year
Admission rate	42%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	1,063

Biology ranks 5th of 6 bachelor's programs at Dillard University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($86,585), Public Health ($35,205), and Psychology ($33,143).

Other biology bachelor's programs near New Orleans

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Dillard UniversityNew Orleans, LA · private nonprofit		$23,999	$31,376
University of New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · public	2 mi	$33,784	$22,500
Xavier University of LouisianaNew Orleans, LA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$17,761	$25,887
Loyola University New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · private nonprofit	5 mi	$30,181	$27,000
Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LA · public	43 mi	$30,865	$20,062
Nicholls StateThibodaux, LA · public	46 mi	$23,672	$22,187

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,999 one year after graduating and $48,297 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $26,121.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Dillard University programs, ranked6 programs by pay and debt