Biology at Carroll College

Carroll College's biology graduates earn $35,157 in their first year—solid but unremarkable performance that ranks in the 68th percentile nationally and 60th within Montana. More notable is the debt picture: at $27,000, this program sits in just the 5th percentile for borrowing nationally, meaning 95% of biology programs saddle students with more debt. The 0.77 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable, roughly equivalent to borrowing three-quarters of your first year's salary.

Within Montana, however, there's a significant gap worth noting. The University of Montana's biology graduates earn $43,914—nearly $9,000 more annually—which compounds considerably over a career. Carroll charges similar tuition to these larger state schools (it's private but relatively affordable), so that earnings difference matters. You're getting decent preparation at a reasonable price, but not the earnings premium that might justify choosing a smaller private college over the flagship university.

The small sample size here (under 30 graduates) means one or two outliers could skew these numbers significantly. If your child is considering pre-med or graduate school—common paths for biology majors—Carroll's outcomes may look different than these first-year earnings suggest. But for students planning to work with just a bachelor's degree, the UM comparison is hard to ignore. Carroll works if your student values the small-school experience and doesn't mind starting a bit behind their state school peers financially.