McNeese State Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Biology, General
- Public university
- Lake Charles, LA
- About 42 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
McNeese State biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $28,276 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,869 in federal loans, less than at 80% of biology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in Louisiana.
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, McNeese State graduates earn about the national figure and about $8,941 more than the Louisiana median.
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 109% 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 $221 a month, or 9.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
94% of graduates (17 of 18) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Lake Charles area are about 14% below the national average, so a $28,276 salary here buys what about $32,936 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 McNeese State
Biology ranks 14th of 17 bachelor's programs at McNeese State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,239), Engineering ($75,566), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($57,964).
Other biology bachelor's programs near Lake Charles
Common questions
The median graduate earns $28,276 one year after graduating and $58,995 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $26,121.
The median federal loan balance is $20,869, which ranks 2nd lowest of 14 biology bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $221 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 74% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Louisiana programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 94% (17 of 18) 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