Biology at The University of the South

The University of the South's biology program produces first-year earnings nearly $10,000 below the national median and roughly $4,000 below Tennessee's state average—placing it in just the 5th percentile nationally. With a small sample size, these numbers could shift, but the pattern is concerning: graduates from Middle Tennessee State and University of Memphis earn 50% more right out of college, and even Rhodes College—another small liberal arts school—shows stronger outcomes.

The debt load itself is typical at $25,000, matching national norms. But paired with $23,932 in first-year earnings, this creates a debt-to-earnings ratio above 1.0, meaning graduates owe more than they make in their first year. Biology graduates often pursue graduate education, which can depress early earnings but lead to better long-term prospects. Still, at a school where only 15% of students receive Pell grants, you're paying private school prices for public school (or worse) biology outcomes.

If your child is pre-med or headed to graduate school and values Sewanee's liberal arts environment, the first-year earnings may be less relevant. But if they're planning to work immediately after graduation, understand they'll likely start significantly behind peers from Tennessee's public universities—and you're paying considerably more for that privilege. The small sample size means these numbers could be unrepresentative, but they're the only concrete data available.