How much debt do UVA biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 2nd lowest of 25 biology bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from UVA worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 83% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Virginia programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do UVA biology graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 76% (110 of 144) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Charlottesville, VA
About 299 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UVA biology graduates earn less than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $23,395 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 86% of biology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Virginia median of $32,457.

First-year earnings$23,3958th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$67,974191% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,5002nd lowest of 25 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings83%Virginia median 78%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	UVA	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$23,395	$32,457	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$67,974	$60,096	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$25,485	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	83%	78%	75%
Programs compared		25	795

Five years out, UVA graduates earn more than the national figure and about $7,879 more than the Virginia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia biology program

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

UVAOther Virginia 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 191% between the first and fifth year.

UVA grads, year 1$23,395

UVA grads, year 5$67,974

All Virginia biology grads, year 5$60,096

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 $4,362 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$21,003Median debt $14,447

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$25,365Median debt $23,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 10.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (176 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
In default	10% 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 $43,605.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (110 of 144) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Charlottesville area are about 1% below the national average, so a $23,395 salary here buys what about $23,597 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

$72,170

Median pay in Virginia. 31,100 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $49,900Top 10%: $107,930

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$93,620

Median pay in Virginia. 4,560 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $65,540Top 10%: $186,810

Natural Sciences Managers

$150,570

Median pay in Virginia. 1,470 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $84,080Top 10%: $212,620

Biological Technicians

$53,360

Median pay in Virginia. 1,820 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $40,330Top 10%: $79,470

About UVA

In-state tuition and fees	$21,803 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$59,512 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,565 / year
Admission rate	17%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	96%
Undergraduate students	17,597

Biology ranks 36th of 37 bachelor's programs at UVA by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($118,232), Computer and Information Science ($98,067), and Management Science ($93,565).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Charlottesville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UVACharlottesville, VA · public		$23,395	$19,500
JMUHarrisonburg, VA · public	34 mi	$34,159	$23,000
Bridgewater CollegeBridgewater, VA · private nonprofit	35 mi	$34,494	$27,000
Longwood UniversityFarmville, VA · public	51 mi	$33,686	$26,946
Virginia Military InstituteLexington, VA · public	54 mi	$43,797	$23,000
Hampden-Sydney CollegeHampden-Sydney, VA · private nonprofit	55 mi	$41,876	$24,500
University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA · public	59 mi	$35,194	$22,567
Randolph-Macon CollegeAshland, VA · private nonprofit	59 mi	$33,361	$26,067

Common questions

The median graduate earns $23,395 one year after graduating and $67,974 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Virginia is $32,457.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked25 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All UVA programs, ranked37 programs by pay and debt