Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology at Brigham Young University

BYU's biochemistry program graduates start $7,500 below Utah's median for this field—a significant gap when the state only has five programs total. The $31,225 first-year salary ranks in just the 21st percentile nationally, and Utah State graduates from the same major earn $11,000 more right out of the gate. For a selective school with an average SAT of 1376, these earnings suggest many graduates are pursuing graduate school or taking research positions rather than immediately entering high-paying careers.

The debt picture provides the main counterweight: at $12,000, BYU graduates carry half what's typical for this major nationally and slightly less than Utah's median. This keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio manageable at 0.38, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off loans in about five months of gross income. The low debt reflects BYU's subsidized tuition for LDS students, which fundamentally changes the financial equation.

If your student plans to work immediately after graduation, this creates a tension—low earnings even by Utah standards, but minimal debt burden. If they're headed to medical school, a PhD program, or another path where that bachelor's becomes a stepping stone, the light debt load makes this a more defensible choice. The value here hinges almost entirely on what comes next after graduation.