How much debt do University of West Alabama biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,750, which ranks 10th lowest of 14 biology bachelor's programs in Alabama. That works out to about $294 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from University of West Alabama worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 92% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%. Compare the cost with other Alabama programs before deciding.

University of West Alabama Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
Livingston, AL
About 10 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of West Alabama biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $30,019 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,750 in federal loans, more than at 93% of biology programs in the country. Several Alabama programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$30,01935th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,75010th lowest of 14 Alabama programs

Debt-to-earnings92%Alabama median 91%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	University of West Alabama	Alabama	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,019	$30,038	$32,212
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,750	$25,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	92%	91%	75%
Programs compared		14	795

Debt and first-year pay at every Alabama biology program

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

University of West AlabamaOther Alabama programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $294 a month, or 11.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Alabama outside metro areas are about 17% below the national average, so a $30,019 salary here buys what about $36,067 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

$61,990

Median pay in Alabama. 15,880 people work in this job in Alabama. 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%: $48,190Top 10%: $76,300

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$68,490

Median pay in Alabama. 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%: $51,140Top 10%: $135,150

Natural Sciences Managers

$133,470

Median pay in Alabama. 370 people work in this job in Alabama. 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%: $81,770Top 10%: $292,940

Biological Technicians

$49,220

Median pay in Alabama. 270 people work in this job in Alabama. 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%: $35,610Top 10%: $62,230

About University of West Alabama

In-state tuition and fees	$10,990 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,090 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,684 / year
Admission rate	43%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	35%
Undergraduate students	2,974

Biology ranks 3rd of 3 bachelor's programs at University of West Alabama by first-year earnings. The others are Business Administration ($36,920) and Other Interdisciplinary Studies ($31,786).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Livingston

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of West AlabamaLivingston, AL · public		$30,019	$27,750
University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL · public	57 mi	$29,848	$24,412

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,019 one year after graduating. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Alabama is $30,038.

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 Alabama 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 Alabama, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All University of West Alabama programs, ranked4 programs by pay and debt