Nova Southeastern University Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Biology, General
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Fort Lauderdale, FL
  • About 249 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Nova Southeastern University biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $23,110 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,750 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Florida programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$23,1107th percentile of 795 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$65,902185% more than year one
Median federal debt$21,75012th lowest of 24 Florida programs
Debt-to-earnings94%Florida median 83%, national 75%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Nova Southeastern University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,060 more than the Florida median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Florida biology program

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

Nova Southeastern UniversityOther Florida 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 185% between the first and fifth year.

Nova Southeastern University grads, year 1$23,110
Nova Southeastern University grads, year 5$65,902
All Florida biology grads, year 5$54,842

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 $1,705 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$22,694Median debt $25,141
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$24,399Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $231 a month, or 12.0% 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, 29 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $41,931.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

82% of graduates (60 of 73) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Miami area are about 14% above the national average, so a $23,110 salary here buys what about $20,244 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

$60,410

Median pay in Florida. 49,810 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $49,210Top 10%: $77,100

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$94,940

Median pay in Florida. 6,490 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $64,630Top 10%: $208,090

Natural Sciences Managers

$112,220

Median pay in Florida. 4,370 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $62,660Top 10%: $216,330

Biological Technicians

$48,700

Median pay in Florida. 3,170 people work in this job in Florida. 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%: $36,050Top 10%: $78,130

About Nova Southeastern University

Biology ranks 9th of 10 bachelor's programs at Nova Southeastern University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,224), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($74,202), and Business Administration ($49,156).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Fort Lauderdale

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,110 one year after graduating and $65,902 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Florida is $27,355.

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 Florida 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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