Biology at DePauw University

Biology programs at Indiana's private liberal arts colleges can be expensive gambles, and DePauw illustrates why. With estimated first-year earnings around $36,000—drawn from state medians since DePauw's own graduate sample is too small to report—graduates face immediate debt service on $25,366 borrowed, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70. That's manageable on paper, but it assumes graduates actually hit those estimated marks. The four-year earnings figure of $56,000 shows meaningful salary growth, yet that still lags behind what peer Indiana programs produce: Indiana State biology graduates start at $43,656, and even regional schools like University of Southern Indiana clock in above $38,000 in year one.

The selectivity here (54% admission rate, 1287 SAT average) suggests DePauw attracts strong students who might reasonably expect premium outcomes, but the estimated starting salary doesn't reflect any such premium—it merely tracks the state median. For a family paying private school prices, that's worth scrutinizing. The low Pell percentage (16%) means most families are full-pay or close to it, making the return on investment calculation even more critical.

If your child is committed to biology and DePauw specifically, press the career center for actual placement data—job types, graduate school acceptance rates, alumni outcomes. Without school-specific earnings data, you're essentially betting that DePauw's network and reputation will compensate for what appears to be middle-of-the-pack Indiana biology performance. That's a bet some families can afford to make, but go in with eyes open about the uncertainty.