Louisiana Tech University Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Biology, General
- Public university
- Ruston, LA
- About 119 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Louisiana Tech University biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $27,358 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,917 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Louisiana programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Louisiana and national columns are the medians across all biology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Louisiana Tech University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $2,890 less than the Louisiana median. Several Louisiana programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana biology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Louisiana 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 72% between the first and fifth year.
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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $24,381 against $21,500.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $243 a month, or 10.7% 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, 30 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,965.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
69% of graduates (52 of 75) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Louisiana outside metro areas are about 18% below the national average, so a $27,358 salary here buys what about $33,173 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
$59,850Median pay in Louisiana. 15,210 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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
$103,410Median pay nationwide. 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
$115,950Median pay in Louisiana. 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
$47,310Median pay in Louisiana. 190 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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 Louisiana Tech University
Biology ranks 24th of 28 bachelor's programs at Louisiana Tech University by first-year earnings. The top three are Chemical Engineering ($79,157), Electrical Engineering Technology ($74,863), and Electrical Engineering ($71,994).
Other biology bachelor's programs near Ruston
Common questions
The median graduate earns $27,358 one year after graduating and $47,164 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $26,121.
The median federal loan balance is $22,917, which ranks 7th lowest of 14 biology bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $243 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 84% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Louisiana programs before deciding.
Most do. 69% (52 of 75) were working in Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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