Biology at Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Northwestern State's biology program starts slowly but shows something interesting: graduates nearly double their earnings by year four, jumping from $25,078 to $39,127. While that initial salary falls well below the national median of $32,316, the program's strong earnings growth means graduates eventually surpass it. At 40th percentile within Louisiana, it performs roughly average for the state—though it trails higher-earning programs at Southern University and UNO by several thousand dollars.

The $26,821 in debt is actually below the national median for biology programs and close to first-year earnings, which keeps the financial burden manageable during those lean early years. The real question is whether families can weather that initial period when a biology graduate is earning $25,000—considerably less than what they might make in other science fields or at competing Louisiana schools. This pattern suggests many graduates may be pursuing additional education, lab positions, or entry-level healthcare roles before moving into better-paying positions.

For parents, this comes down to your child's post-graduation plans. If they're headed to graduate school, medical school, or expect to start in a lower-paying research position, these numbers align with that trajectory. But if they need immediate earning power after graduation, Northwestern State's biology program faces an uphill climb compared to peer institutions in Louisiana.