How much debt do Ursinus College biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 18th lowest of 49 biology bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Ursinus College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 70% 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 Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

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

Q: Do Ursinus College biology graduates stay in Pennsylvania?

Most do. 61% (28 of 46) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit college
Collegeville, PA
About 38 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ursinus College biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $38,360 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,36085th percentile of 795 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$69,21680% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00018th lowest of 49 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings70%Pennsylvania median 76%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Ursinus College	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,360	$35,201	$32,212
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$69,216	$66,152	$60,596
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$27,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	70%	76%	75%
Programs compared		50	795

Five years out, Ursinus College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,065 more than the Pennsylvania median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania biology program

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

Ursinus CollegeOther Pennsylvania 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 80% between the first and fifth year.

Ursinus College grads, year 1$38,360

Ursinus College grads, year 5$69,216

All Pennsylvania biology grads, year 5$66,152

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 $286 a month, or 8.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (65 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, 23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $46,522.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

61% of graduates (28 of 46) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating. Prices in the Philadelphia area are about 3% above the national average, so a $38,360 salary here buys what about $37,405 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

$78,800

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 52,240 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $51,440Top 10%: $102,360

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$99,190

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 12,630 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $61,490Top 10%: $214,690

Natural Sciences Managers

$137,900

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 7,980 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $59,040Top 10%: $312,510

Biological Technicians

$54,950

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 2,820 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $43,270Top 10%: $80,530

About Ursinus College

Tuition and fees	$61,210 / year
Average net price after aid	$30,536 / year
Admission rate	92%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	73%
Undergraduate students	1,491

Biology ranks 4th of 8 bachelor's programs at Ursinus College by first-year earnings. The top three are Economics ($52,496), Mathematics ($47,918), and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ($40,294).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Collegeville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Ursinus CollegeCollegeville, PA · private nonprofit		$38,360	$27,000
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$31,818	$27,000
Chestnut Hill CollegePhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	14 mi	$37,675	$27,000
Arcadia UniversityGlenside, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$40,110	$27,000
Delaware Valley UniversityDoylestown, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$40,692	$27,000
Saint Joseph's UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	18 mi	$33,767	$26,228
La Salle UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	19 mi	$30,626	$26,625
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	22 mi	$35,101	$26,000
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	22 mi	$37,699	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,360 one year after graduating and $69,216 five years after. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $35,201.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, ranked50 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Ursinus College programs, ranked8 programs by pay and debt