Biology at Concordia University-Saint Paul

Concordia-Saint Paul's biology program produces first-year earnings above the national average, but the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year. At $35,290, graduates earn slightly less than Minnesota's state median of $35,984 for biology majors—landing at the 40th percentile among Minnesota programs. That's a meaningful gap when top-performing state schools like Saint Cloud State ($44,166) and Metropolitan State ($42,128) show what's possible within Minnesota's public system.

The debt load of $26,393 is manageable relative to first-year earnings, creating a 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio that's better than many programs. However, biology bachelor's degrees rarely lead directly to high-paying careers without graduate school, which means this debt will follow students into additional education or entry-level research and healthcare support roles where salaries grow slowly.

With 75% of applicants admitted and over a third of students receiving Pell grants, Concordia serves students who might not access more selective programs. But parents should recognize that similar or better outcomes appear available at Minnesota public universities, likely at lower tuition costs. The small cohort size also makes it difficult to assess program stability—one strong or weak year could dramatically change these metrics.