How much debt do UNT biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,000, which ranks 24th lowest of 43 biology bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $254 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from UNT worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 73% 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 Texas programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do UNT biology graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 92% (290 of 316) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Denton, TX
About 385 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UNT biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $32,782 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Texas.

First-year earnings$32,78253rd percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,20968% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,00024th lowest of 43 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings73%Texas median 76%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	UNT	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$32,782	$30,432	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,209	$55,383	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,000	$23,488	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	73%	76%	75%
Programs compared		43	795

Five years out, UNT graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Texas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas biology program

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

UNTOther Texas 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 68% between the first and fifth year.

UNT grads, year 1$32,782

UNT grads, year 5$55,209

All Texas biology grads, year 5$55,383

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. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$32,459Median debt $24,370

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$33,086Median debt $23,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $254 a month, or 9.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (292 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	5–9%
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, 164 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $31,735.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (290 of 316) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Dallas area are about 3% above the national average, so a $32,782 salary here buys what about $31,799 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

$63,590

Median pay in Texas. 111,660 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $50,410Top 10%: $78,020

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$80,470

Median pay in Texas. 11,920 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $63,870Top 10%: $144,060

Natural Sciences Managers

$129,960

Median pay in Texas. 7,470 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $74,200Top 10%: $213,280

Biological Technicians

$50,130

Median pay in Texas. 2,730 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $36,960Top 10%: $80,600

About UNT

In-state tuition and fees	$11,309 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,149 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,649 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	34,341

Biology ranks 47th of 60 bachelor's programs at UNT by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($78,714), Electrical Engineering ($75,265), and Construction Engineering Technology ($72,266).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Denton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UNTDenton, TX · public		$32,782	$24,000
Texas Woman's UniversityDenton, TX · public	2 mi	$31,367	$22,274
UT DallasRichardson, TX · public	28 mi	$26,029	$18,750
University of DallasIrving, TX · private nonprofit	28 mi	$30,920	$24,250
SMUDallas, TX · private nonprofit	33 mi	$39,087	$22,125
UT ArlingtonArlington, TX · public	33 mi	$30,432	$17,500
Dallas Baptist UniversityDallas, TX · private nonprofit	37 mi	$33,096	$25,000
TCUFort Worth, TX · private nonprofit	37 mi	$19,218	$22,000
Austin CollegeSherman, TX · private nonprofit	44 mi	$18,071	$24,277

Common questions

The median graduate earns $32,782 one year after graduating and $55,209 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Texas is $30,432.

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 Texas 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 Texas, ranked43 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All UNT programs, ranked60 programs by pay and debt