U.S. median for this major: $57,996.
College Scorecard field of study; 142 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 23% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $88,140. College Scorecard.
Cornell University Biology: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses Cornell University's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $1,776 | $7,282 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $4,070 | $16,687 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $6,796 | $27,864 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $14,311 | $58,675 | 1.7 years |
| $110k+ | $49,992 | $204,967 | 5.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (87% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Biology graduates 4 years after graduating ($69,083) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $34,450 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Biology at New York colleges
Every New York college we cover that reports Biology graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yeshiva University | $90,456 | $20,500 | $49,965 | 83% |
| 2 | Union College | $87,208 | $24,500 | $34,561 | 80% |
| 3 | Marist University | $81,936 | $26,000 | $41,544 | 80% |
| 4 | New York Institute of Technology | $80,208 | $19,500 | $22,443 | 59% |
| 5 | Clarkson University | $77,791 | $27,000 | $30,305 | 75% |
| 6 | Le Moyne College | $77,609 | $27,000 | $22,277 | 73% |
| 7 | Adelphi University | $75,921 | $25,000 | $30,783 | 67% |
| 8 | Touro University | $75,886 | $20,000 | $29,627 | 72% |
| 9 | Mount Saint Mary College | $75,798 | — | $25,522 | 65% |
| 10 | Barnard College | $75,696 | $16,635 | $28,800 | 93% |
| 11 | Siena College | $73,491 | $27,000 | $33,733 | 75% |
| 12 | Fordham University | $73,136 | $26,640 | $44,338 | 82% |
| 13 | SUNY Oneonta | $71,874 | $21,537 | $19,158 | 69% |
| 14 | Farmingdale State College | $71,533 | $16,748 | $10,867 | 53% |
| 15 | St Lawrence University | $69,386 | $27,000 | $28,651 | 79% |
| 16 | CUNY York College | $69,149 | $11,375 | $4,456 | 32% |
| 17 | Cornell University | $69,083 | $16,000 | $28,690 | 95% |
| 18 | Rochester Institute of Technology | $68,862 | $24,000 | $34,906 | 70% |
| 19 | Syracuse University | $68,283 | $27,000 | $38,793 | 84% |
| 20 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh | $67,359 | $21,140 | $17,156 | 59% |
| 21 | St. Joseph's University-New York | $67,242 | $27,000 | $19,035 | 69% |
| 22 | Manhattan University | $67,229 | $25,000 | $27,256 | 64% |
| 23 | SUNY College at Geneseo | $66,852 | $20,500 | $18,211 | 71% |
| 24 | Binghamton University | $66,816 | $20,478 | $21,620 | 82% |
| 25 | D'Youville University | $66,182 | $25,125 | $20,433 | 67% |
| 26 | Hofstra University | $65,057 | $26,000 | $34,176 | 69% |
| 27 | CUNY Queens College | $64,303 | $12,000 | $4,195 | 53% |
| 28 | Pace University | $63,772 | $27,000 | $30,892 | 60% |
| 29 | SUNY Brockport | $63,596 | $27,000 | $16,353 | 55% |
| 30 | CUNY City College | $63,206 | $12,348 | $3,776 | 57% |
| 31 | Mercy University | $62,849 | $28,250 | $14,072 | 46% |
| 32 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | $62,737 | $27,000 | $31,563 | 77% |
| 33 | Stony Brook University | $62,574 | $21,000 | $18,784 | 76% |
| 34 | State University of New York at Cortland | $61,879 | $26,000 | $22,345 | 68% |
| 35 | Hartwick College | $61,662 | $27,000 | $31,320 | 53% |
| 36 | St. John Fisher University | $61,201 | $26,000 | $28,945 | 74% |
| 37 | SUNY Old Westbury | $60,351 | $19,840 | $11,282 | 45% |
| 38 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | $59,419 | — | $3,033 | 72% |
| 39 | CUNY Hunter College | $59,204 | $12,598 | $2,984 | 57% |
| 40 | State University of New York at Oswego | $58,932 | $21,599 | $16,236 | 60% |
| 41 | University at Albany | $58,703 | $23,500 | $17,167 | 61% |
| 42 | New York University | $58,513 | $21,250 | $37,050 | 88% |
| 43 | Nazareth University | $58,371 | $27,000 | $29,357 | 73% |
| 44 | Colgate University | $57,996 | $14,730 | $28,786 | 91% |
| 45 | College of Staten Island CUNY | $57,540 | $19,350 | $5,579 | 34% |
| 46 | University at Buffalo | $57,298 | $22,481 | $20,995 | 75% |
| 47 | State University of New York at New Paltz | $57,203 | $18,500 | $18,809 | 72% |
| 48 | CUNY Medgar Evers College | $56,157 | $13,980 | $5,718 | 20% |
| 49 | SUNY at Purchase College | $55,718 | $24,237 | $18,913 | 63% |
| 50 | Ithaca College | $55,643 | $26,000 | $33,926 | 76% |
| 51 | Elmira College | $55,132 | $27,000 | $22,386 | 65% |
| 52 | University of Rochester | $54,937 | $21,000 | $29,278 | 85% |
| 53 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute | $54,176 | $12,216 | $14,164 | 55% |
| 54 | St. John's University-New York | $53,989 | $25,023 | $29,999 | 66% |
| 55 | CUNY Brooklyn College | $53,786 | $16,500 | $3,103 | 54% |
| 56 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $53,698 | $19,892 | $21,590 | 96% |
| 57 | CUNY Lehman College | $52,420 | $16,500 | $3,148 | 51% |
| 58 | SUNY at Fredonia | $51,073 | $22,559 | $15,897 | 50% |
| 59 | Long Island University | $50,986 | $26,000 | $33,062 | 57% |
| 60 | SUNY College at Potsdam | $49,725 | $25,000 | $13,624 | 45% |
| 61 | SUNY Buffalo State University | $48,735 | $25,500 | $11,346 | 33% |
| 62 | Canisius University | $48,104 | $26,254 | $17,940 | 66% |
| 63 | Vassar College | $45,359 | $19,000 | $39,343 | 91% |
| 64 | St. Francis College | $42,222 | $26,995 | $18,129 | 55% |
25 more New York colleges offer Biology but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Biology graduates
Biological technician
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +7.4% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Natural Sciences Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +8.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at Cornell University, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About Cornell University
- Acceptance rate: 9% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 95% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $104,043
- Full cost breakdown · all 79 majors · overview
Related majors at Cornell University
- Chemistry$79,311
Cornell University Biology questions
How much do Cornell University Biology graduates earn?
Biology graduates of Cornell University earn a median $69,083 four years after graduating and $34,500 one year after. The U.S. median for Biology graduates across 837 colleges is $57,996.
How much debt do Cornell University Biology graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Biology graduates of Cornell University is $16,000, about 23% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.
Is Cornell University a good school for Biology in New York?
On pay, Biology graduates of Cornell University earn $69,083 four years out, $6,346 above the median for the same major across 65 New York colleges ($62,737) and $11,087 above the U.S. median ($57,996). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does Cornell University rank for Biology in New York?
Of 64 New York colleges reporting Biology graduate earnings, Cornell University ranks 17th. The highest is Yeshiva University at $90,456.
What jobs do Biology graduates get?
A common career is biological technician, with a median wage of $60,900 in the Ithaca, NY area and $57,510 nationally. Others include secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education and natural sciences managers.
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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Cornell University Biology: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cornell-university/majors/biology (College Scorecard and BLS data).