How much debt do UConn biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 11 biology bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from UConn worth it?

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

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

Q: Do UConn biology graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 77% (139 of 180) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Storrs, CT
About 161 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UConn biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $33,189 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$33,18956th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$71,208115% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,0004th lowest of 11 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings75%Connecticut median 64%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	UConn	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,189	$39,628	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$71,208	$63,489	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$26,240	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	75%	64%	75%
Programs compared		11	795

Five years out, UConn graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,720 more than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut biology program

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

UConnOther Connecticut 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 115% between the first and fifth year.

UConn grads, year 1$33,189

UConn grads, year 5$71,208

All Connecticut biology grads, year 5$63,489

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 $25,890 against $23,250.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$34,683Median debt $25,890

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$32,934Median debt $23,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $265 a month, or 9.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (247 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	25–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
In default	5% 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, 114 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $43,713.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (139 of 180) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Hartford area are about 3% above the national average, so a $33,189 salary here buys what about $32,302 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

$80,970

Median pay in Connecticut. 14,800 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $51,710Top 10%: $113,610

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$116,990

Median pay in Connecticut. 2,410 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $68,160Top 10%: $187,310

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,670

Median pay in Connecticut. 1,190 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $136,750Top 10%: $315,560

Biological Technicians

$62,360

Median pay in Connecticut. 650 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $39,520Top 10%: $92,180

About UConn

In-state tuition and fees	$21,044 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$43,712 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,097 / year
Admission rate	52%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	83%
Undergraduate students	19,835

Biology ranks 41st of 58 bachelor's programs at UConn by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($84,969), Computer Engineering ($82,924), and Computer Science ($79,605).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Storrs

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UConnStorrs, CT · public		$33,189	$25,000
Eastern Connecticut StateWillimantic, CT · public	6 mi	$39,977	$25,448
Trinity CollegeHartford, CT · private nonprofit	23 mi	$52,179	$26,190
University of HartfordWest Hartford, CT · private nonprofit	24 mi	$29,763	$27,000
Bay Path UniversityLongmeadow, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$40,964	$27,000
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	28 mi	$36,907	$25,000
Connecticut CollegeNew London, CT · private nonprofit	31 mi	$41,067	$23,045
Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, MA · private nonprofit	35 mi	$39,270	$22,260
Westfield StateWestfield, MA · public	36 mi	$42,776	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,189 one year after graduating and $71,208 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $39,628.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All UConn programs, ranked58 programs by pay and debt