University of Central Oklahoma Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Biology, General
- Public university
- Edmond, OK
- About 114 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Central Oklahoma biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $34,180 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,437 in federal loans, less than at 77% of biology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in Oklahoma.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Oklahoma and national columns are the medians across all biology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Central Oklahoma graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Oklahoma median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Oklahoma biology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Oklahoma medians.
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 64% between the first and fifth year.
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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $23,000 against $20,874.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $227 a month, or 8.0% 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
86% of graduates (57 of 66) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating. Prices in the Oklahoma City area are about 10% below the national average, so a $34,180 salary here buys what about $37,806 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
$48,710Median pay in Oklahoma. 15,480 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
$76,480Median pay in Oklahoma. 920 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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.
Natural Sciences Managers
$112,260Median pay in Oklahoma. 310 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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.
Biological Technicians
$47,850Median pay in Oklahoma. 360 people work in this job in Oklahoma. 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.
About University of Central Oklahoma
Biology ranks 25th of 35 bachelor's programs at University of Central Oklahoma by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($71,438), Mechanical Engineering ($71,362), and Electrical Engineering ($69,156).
Other biology bachelor's programs near Edmond
Common questions
The median graduate earns $34,180 one year after graduating and $56,140 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Oklahoma is $30,830.
The median federal loan balance is $21,437, which ranks 2nd lowest of 7 biology bachelor's programs in Oklahoma. That works out to about $227 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 63% 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.
Most do. 86% (57 of 66) were working in Oklahoma one year after graduating.
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 Oklahoma 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