Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology at Stockton University

Stockton's biology program produces graduates earning about $5,000 less than the New Jersey median for this field—a significant gap when you consider that in-state flagship Rutgers places its biology grads at nearly $40,000. Among the six New Jersey schools offering this degree, Stockton ranks in the 40th percentile, meaning more than half of comparable in-state programs deliver stronger first-year outcomes. The saving grace is that debt levels here match the state median at $27,000, which is actually quite reasonable compared to what many biology programs saddle students with nationally.

The trajectory shows steady improvement—earnings climb 17% by year four to reach $34,000—but that still leaves graduates below where they might have started at competing New Jersey programs. For a family paying in-state tuition at Stockton versus Rutgers, you're potentially accepting a $5,000-$10,000 annual earnings difference in a field where starting salaries already run modest. This matters particularly if your student plans to pursue graduate school, where every dollar of undergraduate debt compounds the challenge.

The practical question: Is Stockton's more accessible admissions (88% acceptance rate) worth the earnings trade-off? If your student is set on biology and needs a less competitive entry point, this program won't bury them in debt. But if Rutgers is an option, the earnings premium there would quickly justify any modest difference in attendance costs.