Biology at Willamette University

The small sample size here matters, but the pattern it suggests is troubling: Willamette biology graduates start at just $25,100—well below both the Oregon median ($30,982) and the national benchmark ($32,316). That's bottom-quartile performance statewide, meaning three-quarters of Oregon biology programs report better initial outcomes. With debt nearly equal to first-year earnings, graduates face a financially precarious launch period.

The dramatic earnings jump to $53,079 by year four offers some relief, suggesting graduates eventually find their footing, possibly through graduate programs or career pivots that take time to materialize. However, that four-year wait is a long runway when you're managing student loan payments. Compare this trajectory to University of Oregon biology grads who start at $35,483, or Linfield graduates earning $42,677 initially—both offering faster returns on similar debt loads.

For $25,000 in debt at a selective liberal arts college, parents should expect better than 25th percentile outcomes in Oregon. The eventual earnings recovery doesn't erase the reality of those difficult early years. Unless your child has specific graduate school plans that explain the delayed earnings (medical school, research programs), consider the Oregon programs where biology graduates start closer to $35,000-$42,000. That $10,000-$17,000 difference in year-one earnings makes loan repayment substantially more manageable.