University of Florida Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Biology, General
- Public university
- Gainesville, FL
- About 630 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Florida biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $24,713 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,536 in federal loans, less than at 93% of biology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Florida median of $27,355.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Florida and national columns are the medians across all biology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Florida graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,328 more than the Florida median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Florida biology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Florida 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 168% 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 more in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed less. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $175 a month, or 8.5% 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. Separately, 79 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,758.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
85% of graduates (276 of 324) were working in Florida one year after graduating. Prices in the Gainesville area are about 3% below the national average, so a $24,713 salary here buys what about $25,548 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
$60,410Median pay in Florida. 49,810 people work in this job in Florida. 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
$94,940Median pay in Florida. 6,490 people work in this job in Florida. 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
$112,220Median pay in Florida. 4,370 people work in this job in Florida. 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
$48,700Median pay in Florida. 3,170 people work in this job in Florida. 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 Florida
Biology ranks 60th of 70 bachelor's programs at University of Florida by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($90,651), Computer Engineering ($87,949), and Chemical Engineering ($87,164).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $24,713 one year after graduating and $66,170 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Florida is $27,355.
The median federal loan balance is $16,536, which ranks 4th lowest of 24 biology bachelor's programs in Florida. That works out to about $175 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 67% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Florida programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 85% (276 of 324) were working in Florida 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 Florida 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