How much debt do University of Cincinnati biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,500, which ranks 8th lowest of 28 biology bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $260 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from University of Cincinnati worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Ohio programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do University of Cincinnati biology graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 81% (167 of 205) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

University of Cincinnati Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Cincinnati, OH
About 213 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Cincinnati biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $34,092 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$34,09262nd percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$64,06588% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,5008th lowest of 28 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings72%Ohio median 83%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	University of Cincinnati	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,092	$30,924	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$64,065	$61,961	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,500	$26,054	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	72%	83%	75%
Programs compared		28	795

Five years out, University of Cincinnati graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,104 more than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio biology program

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

University of CincinnatiOther Ohio 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 88% between the first and fifth year.

University of Cincinnati grads, year 1$34,092

University of Cincinnati grads, year 5$64,065

All Ohio biology grads, year 5$61,961

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 $26,325 against $22,000.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$36,298Median debt $26,325

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$32,775Median debt $22,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $260 a month, or 9.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (174 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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, 96 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $27,500.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

81% of graduates (167 of 205) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Cincinnati area are about 5% below the national average, so a $34,092 salary here buys what about $35,747 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

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$83,910

Median pay in Ohio. 4,840 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $60,080Top 10%: $173,450

Natural Sciences Managers

$137,170

Median pay in Ohio. 1,560 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $78,720Top 10%: $217,760

Biological Technicians

$51,080

Median pay in Ohio. 2,240 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $36,400Top 10%: $79,490

About University of Cincinnati

In-state tuition and fees	$13,976 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,310 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,648 / year
Admission rate	85%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	75%
Undergraduate students	29,882

Biology ranks 45th of 59 bachelor's programs at University of Cincinnati by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($83,489), Chemical Engineering ($82,372), and Electrical Engineering ($80,045).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Cincinnati

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public		$34,092	$24,500
Northern Kentucky UniversityHighland Heights, KY · public	8 mi	$38,970	$23,950
Thomas More UniversityCrestview Hills, KY · private nonprofit	8 mi	$23,426	$27,000
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	29 mi	$38,122	$25,368
University of DaytonDayton, OH · private nonprofit	46 mi	$26,431	$26,000
Wright StateDayton, OH · public	51 mi	$28,368	$25,448
Central StateWilberforce, OH · public	53 mi	$28,264	$30,731
Hanover CollegeHanover, IN · private nonprofit	58 mi	$31,321	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,092 one year after graduating and $64,065 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Ohio is $30,924.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All University of Cincinnati programs, ranked74 programs by pay and debt