How much debt do Hope College biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 18th lowest of 22 biology bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Hope College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 76% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Hope College biology graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 51% (19 of 37) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit college
Holland, MI
About 41 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Hope College biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $35,430 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$35,43070th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,44248% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00018th lowest of 22 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings76%Michigan median 92%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Hope College	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,430	$27,416	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,442	$58,652	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,063	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	76%	92%	75%
Programs compared		22	795

Five years out, Hope College graduates earn less than the national figure and about $6,210 less than the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan biology program

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

Hope CollegeOther Michigan 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 48% between the first and fifth year.

Hope College grads, year 1$35,430

Hope College grads, year 5$52,442

All Michigan biology grads, year 5$58,652

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 $286 a month, or 9.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (52 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

51% of graduates (19 of 37) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Grand Rapids area are about 4% below the national average, so a $35,430 salary here buys what about $37,082 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

$66,030

Median pay in Michigan. 25,540 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $47,830Top 10%: $98,720

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$84,310

Median pay in Michigan. 2,370 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $63,590Top 10%: $144,530

Natural Sciences Managers

$129,070

Median pay in Michigan. 2,220 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $68,380Top 10%: $222,030

Biological Technicians

$51,070

Median pay in Michigan. 1,160 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $38,900Top 10%: $67,870

About Hope College

Tuition and fees	$41,970 / year
Average net price after aid	$27,182 / year
Admission rate	79%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	80%
Undergraduate students	3,288

Biology ranks 12th of 21 bachelor's programs at Hope College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($72,146), Engineering ($67,410), and Computer and Information Science ($61,325).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Holland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Hope CollegeHolland, MI · private nonprofit		$35,430	$27,000
Grand Valley StateAllendale, MI · public	16 mi	$40,959	$26,748
Aquinas CollegeGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	27 mi	$31,787	$24,500
Calvin UniversityGrand Rapids, MI · private nonprofit	28 mi	$29,996	$19,682
Kalamazoo CollegeKalamazoo, MI · private nonprofit	43 mi	$24,211	$26,750
Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	43 mi	$35,955	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,430 one year after graduating and $52,442 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Michigan is $27,416.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked22 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Hope College programs, ranked21 programs by pay and debt