How much debt do Southwest Minnesota State biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,250, which ranks 17th lowest of 25 biology bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $278 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Southwest Minnesota State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 83% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Minnesota programs before deciding.

Southwest Minnesota State Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Marshall, MN
About 13 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southwest Minnesota State biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $31,765 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$31,76547th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,25017th lowest of 25 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings83%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.

	Southwest Minnesota State	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,765	$35,984	$32,212
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,250	$25,499	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	83%	70%	75%
Programs compared		25	795

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.

Southwest Minnesota StateOther Minnesota programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $278 a month, or 10.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Minnesota outside metro areas are about 14% below the national average, so a $31,765 salary here buys what about $37,000 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 Southwest Minnesota State

Tuition and fees	$10,361 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,291 / year
Admission rate	62%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	45%
Undergraduate students	2,315

Biology ranks 12th of 12 bachelor's programs at Southwest Minnesota State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,933), Agricultural Business ($49,521), and Business Administration ($49,245).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,765 one year after graduating. 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 Southwest Minnesota State programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt