How much debt do Otterbein University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 14th lowest of 28 biology bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Otterbein University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 107% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
Westerville, OH
About 38 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Otterbein University biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $24,341 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$24,34110th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$50,862109% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,00014th lowest of 28 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings107%Ohio median 83%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Otterbein University	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$24,341	$30,924	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$50,862	$61,961	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$26,054	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	107%	83%	75%
Programs compared		28	795

Five years out, Otterbein University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $11,099 less than the Ohio median. Several Ohio programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio biology program

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

Otterbein UniversityOther Ohio 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 109% between the first and fifth year.

Otterbein University grads, year 1$24,341

Otterbein University grads, year 5$50,862

All Ohio biology grads, year 5$61,961

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 $276 a month, or 13.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Columbus area are about 5% below the national average, so a $24,341 salary here buys what about $25,496 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

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$83,910

Median pay in Ohio. 4,840 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $60,080Top 10%: $173,450

Natural Sciences Managers

$137,170

Median pay in Ohio. 1,560 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $78,720Top 10%: $217,760

Biological Technicians

$51,080

Median pay in Ohio. 2,240 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $36,400Top 10%: $79,490

About Otterbein University

Tuition and fees	$35,548 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,237 / year
Admission rate	85%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	2,157

Biology ranks 11th of 13 bachelor's programs at Otterbein University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($69,287), Systems Engineering ($63,243), and Finance ($55,364).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Westerville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Otterbein UniversityWesterville, OH · private nonprofit		$24,341	$26,000
Ohio Dominican UniversityColumbus, OH · private nonprofit	9 mi	$38,548	$27,000
Ohio StateColumbus, OH · public	9 mi	$32,356	$23,362
Capital UniversityColumbus, OH · private nonprofit	12 mi	$36,709	$27,000
Denison UniversityGranville, OH · private nonprofit	22 mi	$31,017	$25,000
Wittenberg UniversitySpringfield, OH · private nonprofit	48 mi	$38,072	$27,000
Central StateWilberforce, OH · public	57 mi	$28,264	$30,731

Common questions

The median graduate earns $24,341 one year after graduating and $50,862 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Ohio is $30,924.

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 Ohio 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

Biology bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Otterbein University programs, ranked13 programs by pay and debt