How much debt do Sacred Heart University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 2nd lowest of 11 biology bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Sacred Heart University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 62% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Connecticut programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
Fairfield, CT
About 71 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Sacred Heart University biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $37,450 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,45081st percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$79,093111% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,2502nd lowest of 11 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings62%Connecticut median 64%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Sacred Heart University	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,450	$39,628	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$79,093	$63,489	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,250	$26,240	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	62%	64%	75%
Programs compared		11	795

Five years out, Sacred Heart University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $15,605 more than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut biology program

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

Sacred Heart UniversityOther Connecticut 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 111% between the first and fifth year.

Sacred Heart University grads, year 1$37,450

Sacred Heart University grads, year 5$79,093

All Connecticut biology grads, year 5$63,489

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 $246 a month, or 7.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

20 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $84,539.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Bridgeport area are about 7% above the national average, so a $37,450 salary here buys what about $35,045 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

$80,970

Median pay in Connecticut. 14,800 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $51,710Top 10%: $113,610

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$116,990

Median pay in Connecticut. 2,410 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $68,160Top 10%: $187,310

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,670

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,190 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $136,750Top 10%: $315,560

Biological Technicians

$62,360

Median pay in Connecticut. 650 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $39,520Top 10%: $92,180

About Sacred Heart University

Tuition and fees	$50,404 / year
Average net price after aid	$46,174 / year
Admission rate	65%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	73%
Undergraduate students	7,087

Biology ranks 8th of 12 bachelor's programs at Sacred Heart University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($90,830), Accounting ($60,375), and Computer and Information Science ($58,214).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Fairfield

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit		$37,450	$23,250
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	15 mi	$39,628	$27,000
Western Connecticut StateDanbury, CT · public	16 mi	$37,787	$27,000
Southern Connecticut StateNew Haven, CT · public	17 mi	$41,973	$24,770
Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public	22 mi	$25,253	$21,000
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	23 mi	$44,657	$27,000
SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	27 mi	$33,914	$24,237
Long Island UniversityBrookville, NY · private nonprofit	33 mi	$25,679	$26,000
Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, NY · public	34 mi	$34,245	$16,748

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,450 one year after graduating and $79,093 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $39,628.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Sacred Heart University programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt