Biology at Colby College

Colby's Biology program places its graduates near the top of Maine's Biology offerings, with first-year earnings of $43,597 rivaling University of Southern Maine and substantially outpacing most other programs in the state. This lands at the 95th percentile nationally—impressive performance for a Biology bachelor's, a field where median first-year earnings typically hover around $32,000 and many programs struggle to crack $36,000.

The estimated $27,000 in debt, derived from similar programs at Colby, produces a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62—manageable territory for any field. That's less than eight months of first-year salary, suggesting graduates can realistically tackle repayment while building their careers. For context, Biology programs nationally carry a median debt of $25,000, so this estimate aligns closely with typical borrowing levels for the major.

The caveat: these debt figures are estimates based on peer programs at Colby, not actual data from Biology graduates specifically. Given Colby's 7% admission rate and selectivity (average SAT of 1500), the student profile suggests strong outcomes are plausible. But for a program at this price point, the absence of reported debt data means you're working with educated guesswork rather than certainty. The earnings advantage over most Maine Biology programs is clear and substantial—that part is documented. Whether this particular cohort's borrowing matches the estimate is the unknown variable in an otherwise encouraging picture.