How much debt do IU Indianapolis biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,500, which ranks 5th lowest of 17 biology bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $239 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from IU Indianapolis worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 62% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Indiana programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

IU Indianapolis Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do IU Indianapolis biology graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 87% (118 of 136) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Indianapolis, IN
About 144 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

IU Indianapolis biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $36,343 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,34376th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,85865% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,5005th lowest of 17 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings62%Indiana median 68%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	IU Indianapolis	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,343	$36,161	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,858	$59,318	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,500	$24,820	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	62%	68%	75%
Programs compared		17	795

Five years out, IU Indianapolis graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Indiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Indiana biology program

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

IU IndianapolisOther Indiana 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 65% between the first and fifth year.

IU Indianapolis grads, year 1$36,343

IU Indianapolis grads, year 5$59,858

All Indiana biology grads, year 5$59,318

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 $2,503 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$35,609Median debt $24,314

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$38,112Median debt $21,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $239 a month, or 7.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (100 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. Separately, 37 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,614.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

87% of graduates (118 of 136) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Indianapolis area are about 4% below the national average, so a $36,343 salary here buys what about $37,978 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

$61,880

Median pay in Indiana. 20,430 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $48,300Top 10%: $95,070

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$81,110

Median pay in Indiana. 2,010 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $63,510Top 10%: $151,510

Natural Sciences Managers

$108,250

Median pay in Indiana. 1,670 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $56,530Top 10%: $203,340

Biological Technicians

$58,790

Median pay in Indiana. 1,020 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $45,140Top 10%: $84,900

About IU Indianapolis

In-state tuition and fees	$10,762 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$34,891 / year
Average net price after aid	$11,668 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	13,830

Biology ranks 38th of 49 bachelor's programs at IU Indianapolis by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($73,122), Computer Engineering ($71,986), and Biomedical Engineering ($71,852).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Indianapolis

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
IU IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · public		$36,343	$22,500
Marian University (Indiana)Indianapolis, IN · private nonprofit	3 mi	$35,938	$27,000
University of IndianapolisIndianapolis, IN · private nonprofit	5 mi	$39,909	$27,000
Franklin CollegeFranklin, IN · private nonprofit	21 mi	$30,969	$27,000
IU BloomingtonBloomington, IN · public	46 mi	$36,500	$20,500
Ball StateMuncie, IN · public	50 mi	$34,248	$24,333
Indiana Wesleyan University-MarionMarion, IN · private nonprofit	58 mi	$36,161	$22,875
PurdueWest Lafayette, IN · public	60 mi	$40,145	$20,380

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,343 one year after graduating and $59,858 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Indiana is $36,161.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked17 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All IU Indianapolis programs, ranked62 programs by pay and debt