Zoology/Animal Biology at Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan's zoology program manages something rare in this field: it lands slightly above both the state and national earnings medians for graduates, while keeping debt significantly below average. At $26,646, graduates here borrow about $2,000 less than typical Ohio zoology students and rack up substantially less debt than the national median. That's particularly noteworthy at a small liberal arts college, where higher sticker prices often translate to bigger loan burdens.

The first-year salary of $29,547 won't wow anyone—zoology generally starts modest regardless of where you study—but it's roughly in line with Ohio State's outcomes and puts graduates in a position where they're not buried under debt. With a 0.90 debt-to-earnings ratio, a graduate could theoretically allocate nearly all of one year's salary to loans and be done, though they'd obviously spread payments out. The 9th percentile debt ranking (meaning 91% of programs saddle students with more debt) is the real standout here.

The major caveat: this data comes from a small graduating class, so one or two outlier careers could skew the numbers meaningfully. But if these figures hold true over time, this program offers a path to animal biology without the financial overhang that often makes families question whether a bio degree is worth it. For parents of aspiring zoologists, that lower debt burden could make the difference between a workable financial picture and one that requires either grad school or a career pivot to service loans.