How much debt do UMKC biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 6th lowest of 21 biology bachelor's programs in Missouri. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from UMKC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 53% 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.

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

Q: Do UMKC biology graduates stay in Missouri?

Most do. 69% (44 of 64) were working in Missouri one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Kansas City, MO
About 172 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMKC biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $40,483 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, less than at 75% of biology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Missouri.

First-year earnings$40,48390th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$70,41074% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5006th lowest of 21 Missouri programs

Debt-to-earnings53%Missouri median 68%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	UMKC	Missouri	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,483	$33,761	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$70,410	$55,458	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$25,125	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	53%	68%	75%
Programs compared		21	795

Five years out, UMKC graduates earn more than the national figure and about $14,953 more than the Missouri median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Missouri biology program

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

UMKCOther Missouri 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 74% between the first and fifth year.

UMKC grads, year 1$40,483

UMKC grads, year 5$70,410

All Missouri biology grads, year 5$55,458

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $23,393 against $18,550.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$40,525Median debt $23,393

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$39,760Median debt $18,550

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $228 a month, or 6.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (74 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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, 32 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,452.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

69% of graduates (44 of 64) were working in Missouri one year after graduating. Prices in the Kansas City area are about 7% below the national average, so a $40,483 salary here buys what about $43,745 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

$59,240

Median pay in Missouri. 24,380 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $40,540Top 10%: $79,300

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$102,540

Median pay in Missouri. 3,650 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $64,160Top 10%: $173,480

Natural Sciences Managers

$129,410

Median pay in Missouri. 1,230 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $65,650Top 10%: $229,950

Biological Technicians

$50,640

Median pay in Missouri. 620 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $38,800Top 10%: $74,600

About UMKC

In-state tuition and fees	$12,587 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$30,227 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,310 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	6,817

Biology ranks 10th of 22 bachelor's programs at UMKC by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($76,086), Nursing ($71,150), and Mechanical Engineering ($71,072).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Kansas City

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMKCKansas City, MO · public		$40,483	$21,500
Cleveland University-Kansas CityOverland Park, KS · private nonprofit	9 mi	$39,724	$16,625
University of Saint MaryLeavenworth, KS · private nonprofit	24 mi	$34,718	$26,000
University of KansasLawrence, KS · public	36 mi	$36,131	$22,000
University of Central MissouriWarrensburg, MO · public	49 mi	$34,102	$24,250
Missouri Western StateSaint Joseph, MO · public	51 mi	$40,936	$24,935

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,483 one year after graduating and $70,410 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Missouri is $33,761.

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 Missouri 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 Missouri, ranked21 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All UMKC programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt