How much debt do Hampden-Sydney College biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,500, which ranks 12th lowest of 25 biology bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $260 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Hampden-Sydney College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%.

Hampden-Sydney College Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit college
Hampden-Sydney, VA
About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Hampden-Sydney College biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $41,876 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Virginia.

First-year earnings$41,87693rd percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,35042% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,50012th lowest of 25 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings59%Virginia median 78%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Hampden-Sydney College	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,876	$32,457	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,350	$60,096	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,500	$25,485	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	78%	75%
Programs compared		25	795

Five years out, Hampden-Sydney College graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Virginia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia biology program

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

Hampden-Sydney CollegeOther Virginia 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 42% between the first and fifth year.

Hampden-Sydney College grads, year 1$41,876

Hampden-Sydney College grads, year 5$59,350

All Virginia biology grads, year 5$60,096

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 $260 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Virginia outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $41,876 salary here buys what about $47,392 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

$72,170

Median pay in Virginia. 31,100 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $49,900Top 10%: $107,930

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$93,620

Median pay in Virginia. 4,560 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $65,540Top 10%: $186,810

Natural Sciences Managers

$150,570

Median pay in Virginia. 1,470 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $84,080Top 10%: $212,620

Biological Technicians

$53,360

Median pay in Virginia. 1,820 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $40,330Top 10%: $79,470

About Hampden-Sydney College

Tuition and fees	$54,550 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,400 / year
Admission rate	41%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	946

Biology ranks 4th of 5 bachelor's programs at Hampden-Sydney College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($52,155), Business Economics ($52,087), and History ($42,949).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Hampden-Sydney

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney, VA · private nonprofit		$41,876	$24,500
Longwood UniversityFarmville, VA · public	5 mi	$33,686	$26,946
Liberty UniversityLynchburg, VA · private nonprofit	40 mi	$23,803	$23,299
UVACharlottesville, VA · public	55 mi	$23,395	$19,500
University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, VA · private nonprofit	56 mi	$36,300	$20,064
Virginia StatePetersburg, VA · public	57 mi	$28,169	$26,000
VCURichmond, VA · public	59 mi	$31,149	$21,712
Virginia Union UniversityRichmond, VA · private nonprofit	60 mi	$32,986	$33,700

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,876 one year after graduating and $59,350 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Virginia is $32,457.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked25 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Hampden-Sydney College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt