How much debt do University of Northern Iowa biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 17 biology bachelor's programs in Iowa. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from University of Northern Iowa worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 59% 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. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Iowa programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do University of Northern Iowa biology graduates stay in Iowa?

Most do. 71% (45 of 63) were working in Iowa one year after graduating.

University of Northern Iowa Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Cedar Falls, IA
About 71 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Northern Iowa biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $36,286 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. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying biology degrees in Iowa.

First-year earnings$36,28675th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,77365% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5002nd lowest of 17 Iowa programs

Debt-to-earnings59%Iowa median 76%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	University of Northern Iowa	Iowa	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,286	$34,398	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,773	$62,674	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	76%	75%
Programs compared		17	795

Five years out, University of Northern Iowa graduates earn about the national figure but about $2,901 less than the Iowa median. Several Iowa programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Iowa biology program

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

University of Northern IowaOther Iowa 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 65% between the first and fifth year.

University of Northern Iowa grads, year 1$36,286

University of Northern Iowa grads, year 5$59,773

All Iowa biology grads, year 5$62,674

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $228 a month, or 7.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (83 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
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, 29 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $20,240.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

71% of graduates (45 of 63) were working in Iowa one year after graduating. Prices in the Waterloo area are about 13% below the national average, so a $36,286 salary here buys what about $41,681 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

$61,200

Median pay in Iowa. 12,310 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $47,480Top 10%: $79,270

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$83,850

Median pay in Iowa. 1,060 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $59,580Top 10%: $142,140

Natural Sciences Managers

$109,760

Median pay in Iowa. 610 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $74,320Top 10%: $200,580

Biological Technicians

$48,050

Median pay in Iowa. 800 people work in this job in Iowa. 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%: $39,310Top 10%: $72,510

About University of Northern Iowa

In-state tuition and fees	$9,936 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$21,712 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,901 / year
Admission rate	93%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	68%
Undergraduate students	7,529

Biology ranks 32nd of 41 bachelor's programs at University of Northern Iowa by first-year earnings. The top three are Electromechanical Technology ($75,667), Industrial Technology ($69,122), and Construction Management ($68,698).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Cedar Falls

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA · public		$36,286	$21,500
Wartburg CollegeWaverly, IA · private nonprofit	15 mi	$34,398	$27,000
Upper Iowa UniversityFayette, IA · private nonprofit	40 mi	$43,311	$27,000
Mount Mercy UniversityCedar Rapids, IA · private nonprofit	54 mi	$32,264	$27,000
Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, IA · private nonprofit	55 mi	$37,170	$17,500
Coe CollegeCedar Rapids, IA · private nonprofit	55 mi	$41,112	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,286 one year after graduating and $59,773 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Iowa is $34,398.

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 Iowa 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 Iowa, ranked17 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All University of Northern Iowa programs, ranked41 programs by pay and debt