Lipscomb University Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Biology, General
- Private nonprofit university
- Nashville, TN
- About 43 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Lipscomb University biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $20,387 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,375 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Tennessee programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Tennessee and national columns are the medians across all biology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Lipscomb University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $22,349 more than the Tennessee median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Tennessee biology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Tennessee 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 275% 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 $258 a month, or 15.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
20 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $27,214.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
80% of graduates (24 of 30) were working in Tennessee one year after graduating. Prices in the Nashville area are about 4% below the national average, so a $20,387 salary here buys what about $21,162 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
$61,860Median pay in Tennessee. 21,230 people work in this job in Tennessee. 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
$102,720Median pay in Tennessee. 4,020 people work in this job in Tennessee. 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
$124,530Median pay in Tennessee. 880 people work in this job in Tennessee. 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
$50,840Median pay in Tennessee. 1,240 people work in this job in Tennessee. 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 Lipscomb University
Biology ranks 12th of 13 bachelor's programs at Lipscomb University by first-year earnings. The top three are Mechanical Engineering ($67,725), Nursing ($64,954), and Business Administration ($51,379).
Other biology bachelor's programs near Nashville
Common questions
The median graduate earns $20,387 one year after graduating and $76,487 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Tennessee is $27,487.
The median federal loan balance is $24,375, which ranks 7th lowest of 13 biology bachelor's programs in Tennessee. That works out to about $258 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 120% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Tennessee programs before deciding.
Most do. 80% (24 of 30) were working in Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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