How much debt do Guilford College biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,250, which ranks 3rd lowest of 28 biology bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $225 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Guilford College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 70% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit college
Greensboro, NC
About 13 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Guilford College biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $30,486 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,250 in federal loans, less than at 78% of biology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in North Carolina.

First-year earnings$30,48638th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$40,99434% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,2503rd lowest of 28 North Carolina programs

Debt-to-earnings70%North Carolina median 80%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Guilford College	North Carolina	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,486	$30,693	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$40,994	$54,147	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,250	$26,914	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	80%	75%
Programs compared		28	795

Five years out, Guilford College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $13,153 less than the North Carolina median. Several North Carolina programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina biology program

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

Guilford CollegeOther North Carolina 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 34% between the first and fifth year.

Guilford College grads, year 1$30,486

Guilford College grads, year 5$40,994

All North Carolina biology grads, year 5$54,147

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 $225 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (29 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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

Prices in the Greensboro area are about 7% below the national average, so a $30,486 salary here buys what about $32,828 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

$57,650

Median pay in North Carolina. 28,620 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $45,430Top 10%: $64,460

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$102,980

Median pay in North Carolina. 5,730 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $63,800Top 10%: $171,170

Natural Sciences Managers

$173,870

Median pay in North Carolina. 6,010 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $101,810Top 10%: $305,970

Biological Technicians

$61,720

Median pay in North Carolina. 2,460 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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%: $41,300Top 10%: $79,070

About Guilford College

Tuition and fees	$41,362 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,270 / year
Admission rate	80%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	46%
Undergraduate students	1,001

Biology ranks 4th of 7 bachelor's programs at Guilford College by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($46,497), Accounting ($44,566), and Criminal Justice ($31,799).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Greensboro

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Guilford CollegeGreensboro, NC · private nonprofit		$30,486	$21,250
UNC GreensboroGreensboro, NC · public	5 mi	$31,922	$26,914
NC A&TGreensboro, NC · public	7 mi	$31,660	$28,358
Winston-Salem StateWinston-Salem, NC · public	19 mi	$30,719	$27,446
Elon UniversityElon, NC · private nonprofit	21 mi	$32,683	$24,125
Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · private nonprofit	22 mi	$30,666	$22,612
UNC Chapel HillChapel Hill, NC · public	48 mi	$33,471	$15,100
Duke UniversityDurham, NC · private nonprofit	53 mi	$30,939	$12,500
North Carolina Central UniversityDurham, NC · public	56 mi	$30,423	$30,420

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,486 one year after graduating and $40,994 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $30,693.

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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Guilford College programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt