Providence College Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Biology, General
  • Private nonprofit college
  • Providence, RI
  • About 117 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Providence College biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $39,616 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Rhode Island programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$39,61688th percentile of 795 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$88,809124% more than year one
Median federal debt$27,0005th lowest of 7 Rhode Island programs
Debt-to-earnings68%Rhode Island median 67%, national 75%

How it compares

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

Five years out, Providence College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $13,825 more than the Rhode Island median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Rhode Island biology program

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

Providence CollegeOther Rhode Island 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 124% between the first and fifth year.

Providence College grads, year 1$39,616
Providence College grads, year 5$88,809
All Rhode Island biology grads, year 5$74,984

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. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$47,195Median debt $26,680
Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,109Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 8.7% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Providence area are about 2% above the national average, so a $39,616 salary here buys what about $38,926 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

$92,610

Median pay in Rhode Island. 4,910 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $51,670Top 10%: $100,370

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$103,370

Median pay in Rhode Island. 670 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $66,370Top 10%: $218,940

Natural Sciences Managers

$130,480

Median pay in Rhode Island. 200 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $64,210Top 10%: $268,500

Biological Technicians

$45,530

Median pay in Rhode Island. 140 people work in this job in Rhode Island. 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%: $43,830Top 10%: $79,060

About Providence College

Biology ranks 13th of 16 bachelor's programs at Providence College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($69,364), Computer Science ($69,195), and Accounting ($69,044).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Providence

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,616 one year after graduating and $88,809 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Rhode Island is $39,910.

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 Rhode Island 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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