How much debt do Emory University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 26 biology bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Emory University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 83% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

Do Emory University biology graduates stay in Georgia?

Many leave. 39% (52 of 134) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

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

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
Atlanta, GA
About 211 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Emory University biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $23,492 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 86% of biology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Georgia median of $27,488.

First-year earnings$23,4928th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$67,087186% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,5003rd lowest of 26 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings83%Georgia median 96%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Emory University	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,492	$27,488	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$67,087	$51,651	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$25,878	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	83%	96%	75%
Programs compared		26	795

Five years out, Emory University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $15,436 more than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia biology program

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

Emory UniversityOther Georgia 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 186% between the first and fifth year.

Emory University grads, year 1$23,492

Emory University grads, year 5$67,087

All Georgia biology grads, year 5$51,651

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $1,919 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$23,047Median debt $17,834

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$24,966Median debt $21,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 10.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (143 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
Paying down the balance	10–19%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
In default	10% 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. Separately, 34 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $49,961.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

39% of graduates (52 of 134) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$75,480

Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,450Top 10%: $96,820

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$92,450

Median pay in Georgia. 1,910 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $61,640Top 10%: $208,000

Natural Sciences Managers

$167,220

Median pay nationwide. 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.

Biological Technicians

$52,420

Median pay in Georgia. 860 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $42,940Top 10%: $72,420

About Emory University

Tuition and fees	$64,280 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,585 / year
Admission rate	11%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	91%
Undergraduate students	7,298

Biology ranks 21st of 22 bachelor's programs at Emory University by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($85,682), Computer Science ($80,623), and Nursing ($79,073).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Atlanta

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit		$23,492	$19,500
Georgia TechAtlanta, GA · public	4 mi	$19,167	$25,375
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	4 mi	$26,647	$26,000
Clark Atlanta UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$24,763	$27,000
Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$21,638	$26,502
Oglethorpe UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$27,337	$27,000
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$19,679	$24,543
Clayton StateMorrow, GA · public	14 mi	$31,665	$31,500
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	23 mi	$31,530	$26,205

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,492 one year after graduating and $67,087 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Georgia is $27,488.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked26 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Emory University programs, ranked23 programs by pay and debt