Biology at SUNY Polytechnic Institute

SUNY Polytechnic's biology program stands out for one compelling reason: graduates leave with roughly half the debt of typical biology majors nationwide ($12,216 versus $25,000). That's 95th percentile—meaning only 5% of biology programs saddle students with less debt. For a biology degree that often serves as a stepping stone to graduate school or professional programs, minimizing undergraduate debt matters significantly.

The tradeoff is modest first-year earnings of $30,834, which falls slightly below both state and national medians. Among New York's 92 biology programs, this ranks in the 40th percentile—middle of the pack, but notably behind top performers like Barnard ($47,329) or Hamilton ($43,639). With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.40, graduates can reasonably manage their loans even with these lower starting salaries. However, the sample size here is quite small (under 30 graduates), so these figures may not fully represent typical outcomes.

For families planning on medical school, veterinary programs, or other advanced degrees where undergraduate debt compounds with graduate loans, this low-debt profile becomes a genuine advantage. Just understand that the modest starting earnings reflect reality for most biology bachelor's holders—this field typically requires further education for higher-paying positions. The real value here is keeping your options open without the debt burden that could limit graduate school choices later.