Biology at Saint Mary's College

Saint Mary's biology graduates carry $27,000 in debt—a manageable burden that ranks among the lowest 5% nationally for this major. With first-year earnings tracking right at Indiana's state median around $36,000 and four-year earnings jumping to $64,337, the debt picture here looks considerably better than most biology programs.

The challenge is that much of this assessment relies on estimates. Saint Mary's actual first-year figure is suppressed due to small sample size, so we're using what comparable Indiana biology programs typically produce. The good news: even with conservative assumptions, the 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests borrowers would need less than a year's salary to cover their loans—a threshold that signals reasonable affordability. The jump to $64,337 by year four is actual reported data, suggesting either strong graduate school outcomes or career progression that many biology majors struggle to achieve elsewhere.

What's less clear is whether Saint Mary's smaller cohort reflects something about the program itself—perhaps fewer students means more attention, or perhaps it indicates limited research infrastructure compared to larger universities like Purdue, where biology graduates reportedly start at $40,000+. For families, the relatively low debt ceiling matters most: even if first-year earnings lag peer schools slightly, graduates aren't starting their careers—or medical school applications—buried under six-figure loans.