Biology at Southwest Minnesota State University

Southwest Minnesota State's biology program delivers below-median outcomes for Minnesota, with graduates earning $31,765 in their first year—ranking in just the 40th percentile statewide. That's roughly $4,200 less than the typical Minnesota biology graduate and trails public alternatives like St. Cloud State ($44,166) and Winona State ($38,666) by significant margins. Even among Minnesota's 31 biology programs, this is toward the lower end of earning potential.

The debt load of $26,250 is close to state and national medians, which means the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83 looks reasonable on paper. Your child would owe less than one year's salary, which is manageable. However, the real concern is the opportunity cost: paying similar debt for substantially lower earnings than other Minnesota schools provide. The relatively low Pell grant rate (11%) suggests most students here come from families who can afford alternatives.

One critical caveat: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so these numbers could shift dramatically year to year. If your child is strongly drawn to SMSU for non-academic reasons—small-town environment, campus fit, specific faculty—the financial difference might be acceptable. But purely from an earnings standpoint, Minnesota offers several biology programs that provide better returns on the same investment.