Biology at Linfield University

Linfield's biology graduates earn $42,677 in their first year—an impressive showing that outpaces the Oregon median by nearly $12,000 and ranks in the 80th percentile statewide. For a biology bachelor's, this is exceptional performance: the program beats the national median by more than $10,000 and even surpasses traditionally strong programs like University of Oregon. At $27,000 in debt, students borrow slightly more than peers elsewhere in the state, but the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.63 remains manageable—graduates can realistically tackle these loans on a biologist's starting salary.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset, these numbers could shift dramatically year to year. A single cohort getting into competitive research positions or graduate programs could skew the average. Still, the fact that Linfield graduates consistently outperform their counterparts at larger state schools suggests something is working—whether that's strong lab preparation, effective career services, or industry connections in Portland's biotech sector.

For families considering Linfield, this data suggests solid ROI potential, but verify it. Talk to recent alumni about where they landed jobs, and ask the department about typical career paths. If your student plans graduate school, factor in that biology bachelor's degrees rarely lead to high earnings without further training—though Linfield's numbers suggest graduates are finding better-than-average opportunities in the interim.