How much debt do Saint Cloud State biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,450, which ranks 9th lowest of 25 biology bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $259 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Saint Cloud State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 55% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

Saint Cloud State Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Saint Cloud State biology graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 91% (51 of 56) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Saint Cloud, MN
About 36 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Saint Cloud State biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $44,166 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,450 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Minnesota.

First-year earnings$44,16697th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$77,08575% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,4509th lowest of 25 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings55%Minnesota median 70%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Saint Cloud State	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$44,166	$35,984	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$77,085	$66,856	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,450	$25,499	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	55%	70%	75%
Programs compared		25	795

Five years out, Saint Cloud State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $10,229 more than the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota biology program

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

Saint Cloud StateOther Minnesota 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 75% between the first and fifth year.

Saint Cloud State grads, year 1$44,166

Saint Cloud State grads, year 5$77,085

All Minnesota biology grads, year 5$66,856

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 $4,276 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$42,765Median debt $28,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$47,041Median debt $19,447

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $259 a month, or 7.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (92 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

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

91% of graduates (51 of 56) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the St. Cloud area are about 12% below the national average, so a $44,166 salary here buys what about $50,399 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

$76,460

Median pay in Minnesota. 16,020 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $49,160Top 10%: $121,220

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$89,950

Median pay in Minnesota. 6,760 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $65,140Top 10%: $141,070

Natural Sciences Managers

$136,450

Median pay in Minnesota. 1,530 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $78,050Top 10%: $289,790

Biological Technicians

$48,130

Median pay in Minnesota. 1,400 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $40,940Top 10%: $73,280

About Saint Cloud State

Tuition and fees	$10,245 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,529 / year
Admission rate	95%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	40%
Undergraduate students	5,088

Biology ranks 17th of 33 bachelor's programs at Saint Cloud State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($77,792), Medical Laboratory Science ($74,147), and Nursing ($74,111).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Saint Cloud

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Saint Cloud StateSaint Cloud, MN · public		$44,166	$24,450
College of Saint BenedictSaint Joseph, MN · private nonprofit	8 mi	$35,800	$27,000
Saint Johns UniversityCollegeville, MN · private nonprofit	12 mi	$34,684	$27,000
Bethel University (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	59 mi	$37,924	$23,552
University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	60 mi	$31,547	$23,875
University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	60 mi	$36,136	$21,218

Common questions

The median graduate earns $44,166 one year after graduating and $77,085 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $35,984.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked25 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Saint Cloud State programs, ranked34 programs by pay and debt