Biology at Rhodes College

Rhodes College's biology program places graduates at less than $29,000 in their first year—about 10% below the national median and roughly in line with Tennessee's typical biology outcomes. The 60th percentile state ranking means this program performs slightly better than average for Tennessee, though three public universities (MTSU, Memphis, and Tennessee State) deliver substantially higher early earnings while charging similar debt levels. For a selective private college with a 1385 average SAT, these earnings lag expectations considerably.

The debt load of $23,465 is actually lower than both state and national medians, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio under 1.0—manageable on paper but still representing nearly a full year's salary for repayment. The real concern is whether these early numbers reflect typical med school or graduate school pathways (which would temporarily suppress earnings) or if this represents the ceiling for biology graduates entering the workforce directly.

The small sample size here is critical: with fewer than 30 graduates in the data, a few students pursuing additional education could dramatically skew these numbers downward. If most Rhodes biology graduates are headed to medical or graduate programs, this data tells you little about the program's true value. If they're not, the comparison to MTSU's $36,000 median suggests that Rhodes' premium tuition may not translate to better biology career outcomes in Tennessee's job market.