How much debt do UW-River Falls biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,937, which ranks 4th lowest of 19 biology bachelor's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $243 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from UW-River Falls worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 66% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Wisconsin programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Do UW-River Falls biology graduates stay in Wisconsin?

Many leave. 26% (21 of 81) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating.

UW-River Falls Biology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Public university
River Falls, WI
About 59 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UW-River Falls biology graduates earn about what biology graduates earn nationally, $34,762 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,937 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Wisconsin programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$34,76267th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,21250% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,9374th lowest of 19 Wisconsin programs

Debt-to-earnings66%Wisconsin median 66%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	UW-River Falls	Wisconsin	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,762	$35,775	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,212	$57,780	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,937	$25,250	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	66%	66%	75%
Programs compared		20	795

Five years out, UW-River Falls graduates earn less than the national figure and about $5,568 less than the Wisconsin median. Several Wisconsin programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Wisconsin biology program

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

UW-River FallsOther Wisconsin 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 50% between the first and fifth year.

UW-River Falls grads, year 1$34,762

UW-River Falls grads, year 5$52,212

All Wisconsin biology grads, year 5$57,780

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 more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$40,580Median debt $22,968

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$31,572Median debt $22,375

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $243 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (112 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

26% of graduates (21 of 81) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating. Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $34,762 salary here buys what about $33,163 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

$62,870

Median pay in Wisconsin. 15,910 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $48,550Top 10%: $83,340

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$82,530

Median pay in Wisconsin. 2,970 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $62,850Top 10%: $128,680

Natural Sciences Managers

$128,890

Median pay in Wisconsin. 1,070 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $89,580Top 10%: $213,290

Biological Technicians

$51,750

Median pay in Wisconsin. 1,800 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $73,570

About UW-River Falls

In-state tuition and fees	$9,008 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,470 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,054 / year
Admission rate	82%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	4,205

Biology ranks 18th of 20 bachelor's programs at UW-River Falls by first-year earnings. The top three are Physics ($62,196), Agricultural Engineering ($57,627), and Accounting ($56,825).

Other biology bachelor's programs near River Falls

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UW-River FallsRiver Falls, WI · public		$34,762	$22,937
Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN · public	23 mi	$42,128	$28,619
Concordia University-Saint PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	27 mi	$35,290	$26,393
Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	27 mi	$35,616	$21,500
Hamline UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	28 mi	$37,382	$27,000
St Catherine UniversitySaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	28 mi	$40,937	$27,000
University of St Thomas (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	28 mi	$36,072	$25,970
University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	29 mi	$31,547	$23,875
Bethel University (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	30 mi	$37,924	$23,552

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,762 one year after graduating and $52,212 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Wisconsin is $35,775.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, ranked20 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All UW-River Falls programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt