Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology at University of Iowa

University of Iowa biochemistry graduates earn $29,991 in their first year—about $9,000 below the state median and $8,000 below the national average for this major. Among Iowa's biochemistry programs, this ranks in just the 25th percentile, trailing significantly behind Iowa State ($43,520) and even smaller schools like Cornell College. For a flagship state university with an 85% admission rate, these outcomes are surprisingly weak.

The debt picture offers little consolation. At $21,626, it's close to typical for biochemistry majors, yielding a manageable 0.72 debt-to-earnings ratio. But the real issue is what you're getting for that debt: earnings that place graduates near the bottom fifth nationally for this field. While biochemistry often serves as a stepping stone to graduate or medical school, first-year earnings this low suggest many graduates struggle to find relevant positions that leverage their technical training. The moderate sample size (30-100 graduates) provides reasonable confidence in these numbers.

The gap between University of Iowa and Iowa State is particularly notable since both are large public universities with similar access and cost structures. If your child is certain about biochemistry and plans to work immediately after graduation, the in-state alternatives show meaningfully stronger starting positions. If graduate school is the plan, these initial earnings matter less—but in that case, the quality of research opportunities and grad school placement rates become the metrics that matter.