How much debt do University of San Diego biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,000, which ranks 37th lowest of 47 biology bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $265 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from University of San Diego worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 46% 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.

University of San Diego Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of San Diego biology graduates stay in California?

Most do. 74% (28 of 38) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
San Diego, CA
About 79 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of San Diego biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $54,223 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in California.

First-year earnings$54,223Top 1% of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$68,95027% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,00037th lowest of 47 California programs

Debt-to-earnings46%California median 56%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	University of San Diego	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$54,223	$33,486	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$68,950	$69,162	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,000	$20,200	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	46%	56%	75%
Programs compared		47	795

Five years out, University of San Diego graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California biology program

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

University of San DiegoOther California 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 27% between the first and fifth year.

University of San Diego grads, year 1$54,223

University of San Diego grads, year 5$68,950

All California biology grads, year 5$69,162

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 $265 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (63 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
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, 31 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $75,143.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

74% of graduates (28 of 38) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Diego area are about 12% above the national average, so a $54,223 salary here buys what about $48,462 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

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. 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%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$136,990

Median pay in California. 29,830 people work in this job in California. 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%: $81,320Top 10%: $180,060

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,230

Median pay in California. 14,950 people work in this job in California. 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%: $130,730Top 10%: $330,050

Biological Technicians

$71,440

Median pay in California. 9,210 people work in this job in California. 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%: $46,700Top 10%: $121,670

About University of San Diego

Tuition and fees	$59,486 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,365 / year
Admission rate	52%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	84%
Undergraduate students	5,671

Biology ranks 8th of 19 bachelor's programs at University of San Diego by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($104,948), Industrial Engineering ($80,644), and Electrical Engineering ($80,073).

Other biology bachelor's programs near San Diego

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA · private nonprofit		$54,223	$25,000
Point Loma Nazarene UniversitySan Diego, CA · private nonprofit	5 mi	$34,943	$25,096
San Diego StateSan Diego, CA · public	7 mi	$33,597	$17,998
UC San DiegoLa Jolla, CA · public	8 mi	$34,504	$17,667
Cal State San MarcosSan Marcos, CA · public	25 mi	$38,527	$24,174

Common questions

The median graduate earns $54,223 one year after graduating and $68,950 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in California is $33,486.

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 California 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 California, ranked47 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All University of San Diego programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt