How much debt do SUNY Cortland biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 44th lowest of 64 biology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from SUNY Cortland worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 88% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.

SUNY Cortland Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do SUNY Cortland biology graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 91% (53 of 58) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Cortland, NY
About 37 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

SUNY Cortland biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $29,383 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several New York programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$29,38331st percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$68,861134% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,00044th lowest of 64 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings88%New York median 72%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	SUNY Cortland	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,383	$32,288	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$68,861	$67,930	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,000	$24,500	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	88%	72%	75%
Programs compared		65	795

Five years out, SUNY Cortland graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York biology program

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

SUNY CortlandOther New York 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 134% between the first and fifth year.

SUNY Cortland grads, year 1$29,383

SUNY Cortland grads, year 5$68,861

All New York biology grads, year 5$67,930

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, but borrowed more: a median of $26,449 against $23,874.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$37,866Median debt $26,449

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$21,687Median debt $23,874

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $276 a month, or 11.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (81 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. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,078.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (53 of 58) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of New York outside metro areas are about 8% below the national average, so a $29,383 salary here buys what about $32,073 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

$97,070

Median pay in New York. 70,660 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $60,070Top 10%: $136,450

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$87,760

Median pay in New York. 7,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $67,490Top 10%: $177,510

Natural Sciences Managers

$134,680

Median pay in New York. 5,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $65,440Top 10%: $291,780

Biological Technicians

$61,210

Median pay in New York. 5,050 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $39,040Top 10%: $79,630

About SUNY Cortland

In-state tuition and fees	$8,874 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$18,784 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,345 / year
Admission rate	60%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	5,901

Biology ranks 13th of 16 bachelor's programs at SUNY Cortland by first-year earnings. The top three are Subject-Area Teacher Education ($42,132), Rehabilitation and Therapy ($40,853), and Business Economics ($40,517).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Cortland

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
SUNY CortlandCortland, NY · public		$29,383	$26,000
Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	18 mi	$34,500	$16,000
Ithaca CollegeIthaca, NY · private nonprofit	20 mi	$28,351	$26,000
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	30 mi	$34,841	$27,000
Le Moyne CollegeSyracuse, NY · private nonprofit	32 mi	$30,767	$27,000
Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY · private nonprofit	36 mi	$34,796	$14,730
Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY · public	37 mi	$25,016	$20,478
Hobart William Smith CollegesGeneva, NY · private nonprofit	44 mi	$33,163	$27,000
Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY · private nonprofit	50 mi	$43,639	$17,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,383 one year after graduating and $68,861 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in New York is $32,288.

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 New York 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 New York, ranked65 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All SUNY Cortland programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt