How much debt do Westminster University biology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,000, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 biology bachelor's programs in Utah. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.

Is a biology degree from Westminster University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 51% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 75%.

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

Bachelor's in Biology, General
Private nonprofit university
Salt Lake City, UT
About 15 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Westminster University biology graduates earn more than graduates of most biology programs nationally, $40,919 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,000 in federal loans, less than at 79% of biology programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying biology degrees in Utah.

First-year earnings$40,91991st percentile of 795 programs nationally

Median federal debt$21,0004th lowest of 5 Utah programs

Debt-to-earnings51%Utah median 51%, national 75%

How it compares

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

	Westminster University	Utah	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,919	$38,427	$32,212
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,000	$17,475	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	51%	51%	75%
Programs compared		5	795

Debt and first-year pay at every Utah biology program

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

Westminster UniversityOther Utah 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 $223 a month, or 6.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Salt Lake City area are about 1% above the national average, so a $40,919 salary here buys what about $40,567 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

$76,330

Median pay in Utah. 11,030 people work in this job in Utah. 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%: $51,400Top 10%: $98,730

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$82,940

Median pay in Utah. 1,560 people work in this job in Utah. 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%: $65,310Top 10%: $139,050

Natural Sciences Managers

$119,430

Median pay in Utah. 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%: $63,500Top 10%: $218,340

Biological Technicians

$52,960

Median pay in Utah. 710 people work in this job in Utah. 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%: $82,500

About Westminster University

Tuition and fees	$43,528 / year
Average net price after aid	$27,094 / year
Admission rate	67%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	823

Biology ranks 7th of 11 bachelor's programs at Westminster University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,132), Finance ($62,689), and Business Administration ($58,523).

Other biology bachelor's programs near Salt Lake City

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Westminster UniversitySalt Lake City, UT · private nonprofit		$40,919	$21,000
University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT · public	2 mi	$39,212	$21,000
Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT · public	32 mi	$38,427	$19,200

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,919 one year after graduating. The median across biology bachelor's programs in Utah is $38,427.

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 Utah 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 Utah, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Biology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked795 programs by pay and debt All Westminster University programs, ranked11 programs by pay and debt