How much debt do Ithaca College biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 44th lowest of 64 biology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Ithaca College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 92% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit college
Ithaca, NY
About 23 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ithaca College biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $28,351 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,35126th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$64,294127% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,00044th lowest of 64 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings92%New York median 72%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Ithaca College	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,351	$32,288	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$64,294	$67,930	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$24,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	92%	72%	75%
Programs compared		65	795

Five years out, Ithaca College graduates earn more than the national figure but about $3,636 less than the New York median. Several New York programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York biology program

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

Ithaca CollegeOther New York 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 127% between the first and fifth year.

Ithaca College grads, year 1$28,351

Ithaca College grads, year 5$64,294

All New York biology grads, year 5$67,930

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 $276 a month, or 11.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (22 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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 Ithaca area are about 3% above the national average, so a $28,351 salary here buys what about $27,441 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

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$87,760

Median pay in New York. 7,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $67,490Top 10%: $177,510

Natural Sciences Managers

$134,680

Median pay in New York. 5,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $65,440Top 10%: $291,780

Biological Technicians

$61,210

Median pay in New York. 5,050 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $39,040Top 10%: $79,630

About Ithaca College

Tuition and fees	$53,540 / year
Average net price after aid	$33,926 / year
Admission rate	69%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	4,242

Biology ranks 10th of 18 bachelor's programs at Ithaca College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($70,239), Subject-Area Teacher Education ($48,249), and Business Administration ($46,306).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Ithaca

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Ithaca CollegeIthaca, NY · private nonprofit		$28,351	$26,000
Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	2 mi	$34,500	$16,000
SUNY CortlandCortland, NY · public	20 mi	$29,383	$26,000
Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	36 mi	$25,016	$20,478
Hobart William Smith CollegesGeneva, NY · private nonprofit	39 mi	$33,163	$27,000
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	46 mi	$34,841	$27,000
Le Moyne CollegeSyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	48 mi	$30,767	$27,000
Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY · private nonprofit	56 mi	$34,796	$14,730

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,351 one year after graduating and $64,294 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in New York is $32,288.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked65 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Ithaca College programs, ranked18 programs by pay and debt