Kansas State Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Biology, General
- Public university
- Manhattan, KS
- About 90 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Kansas State biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $27,301 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, less than at 75% of biology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Kansas median of $34,495.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Kansas and national columns are the medians across all biology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Kansas State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,786 more than the Kansas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Kansas biology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Kansas medians.
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 139% between the first and fifth year.
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 $228 a month, or 10.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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, 27 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $18,250.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
72% of graduates (33 of 46) were working in Kansas one year after graduating. Prices in the Manhattan area are about 10% below the national average, so a $27,301 salary here buys what about $30,280 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
$59,920Median pay in Kansas. 10,860 people work in this job in Kansas. 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.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
$84,490Median pay in Kansas. 1,070 people work in this job in Kansas. 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.
Natural Sciences Managers
$153,820Median pay in Kansas. 240 people work in this job in Kansas. 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.
Biological Technicians
$51,630Median pay in Kansas. 480 people work in this job in Kansas. 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.
About Kansas State
Biology ranks 53rd of 55 bachelor's programs at Kansas State by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($78,758), Computer Engineering ($77,938), and Industrial Engineering ($77,724).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $27,301 one year after graduating and $65,318 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Kansas is $34,495.
The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 8 biology bachelor's programs in Kansas. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 79% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Kansas programs before deciding.
Most do. 72% (33 of 46) were working in Kansas one year after graduating.
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 Kansas 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