How much debt do UMBC biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 14 biology bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $212 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from UMBC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 61% 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 Maryland programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do UMBC biology graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 88% (198 of 225) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Baltimore, MD
About 318 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMBC biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $33,055 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,000 in federal loans, less than at 83% of biology programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in Maryland.

First-year earnings$33,05555th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$65,64799% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,0002nd lowest of 14 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings61%Maryland median 73%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	UMBC	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,055	$33,897	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$65,647	$62,368	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,000	$26,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	61%	73%	75%
Programs compared		14	795

Five years out, UMBC graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,279 more than the Maryland median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland biology program

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

UMBCOther Maryland 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 99% between the first and fifth year.

UMBC grads, year 1$33,055

UMBC grads, year 5$65,647

All Maryland biology grads, year 5$62,368

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 $1,885 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$33,197Median debt $19,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$35,082Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $212 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (227 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	20–24%
Paused payments (forbearance)	15–19%
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, 72 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $26,843.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

88% of graduates (198 of 225) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Baltimore area are about 4% above the national average, so a $33,055 salary here buys what about $31,636 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

$78,670

Median pay in Maryland. 16,640 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $58,150Top 10%: $102,690

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$106,000

Median pay in Maryland. 6,760 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $71,150Top 10%: $172,520

Natural Sciences Managers

$168,620

Median pay in Maryland. 4,820 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $127,920Top 10%: $268,240

Biological Technicians

$52,900

Median pay in Maryland. 3,470 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $41,270Top 10%: $82,280

About UMBC

In-state tuition and fees	$13,256 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$31,275 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,467 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	10,701

Biology ranks 18th of 26 bachelor's programs at UMBC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($86,444), Computer Science ($83,684), and Mechanical Engineering ($71,519).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Baltimore

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public		$33,055	$20,000
Coppin StateBaltimore, MD · public	5 mi	$21,151	$27,000
Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	8 mi	$34,655	$27,000
Morgan StateBaltimore, MD · public	9 mi	$34,635	$29,000
Towson UniversityTowson, MD · public	11 mi	$34,988	$21,875
Stevenson UniversityOwings Mills, MD · private nonprofit	12 mi	$32,983	$27,000
Bowie StateBowie, MD · public	17 mi	$26,266	$29,000
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	22 mi	$30,325	$19,000
McDaniel CollegeWestminster, MD · private nonprofit	27 mi	$33,241	$21,375

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,055 one year after graduating and $65,647 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Maryland is $33,897.

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 Maryland 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 Maryland, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All UMBC programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt