University of California-Santa Barbara Biology: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$64,520

U.S. median for this major: $57,996.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

$33,486

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$14,586

About 23% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$16,109 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $41,573. College Scorecard.

Biology at California colleges

Every California 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	University of the Pacific	$83,012	$21,500	$25,447	69%
2	Loyola Marymount University	$80,317	$24,625	$48,381	79%
3	University of California-Berkeley	$79,163	$14,000	$13,481	93%
4	Northeastern University Oakland	$78,327	$25,000	$25,181	—
5	Dominican University of California	$75,913	$27,000	$35,333	78%
6	Westmont College	$75,889	$23,250	$29,053	70%
7	San Francisco State University	$74,204	$15,000	$12,278	50%
8	California State University-East Bay	$74,010	$21,500	$9,320	48%
9	California State University-Chico	$71,726	$18,750	$14,480	63%
10	California State University-San Marcos	$70,789	$24,174	$10,229	55%
11	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$69,854	$22,949	$16,665	86%
12	University of San Francisco	$69,440	$23,250	$41,431	70%
13	San Diego State University	$68,861	$17,998	$15,364	76%
14	University of California-Davis	$68,120	$13,000	$14,741	86%
15	University of Redlands	$66,639	$26,784	$30,031	67%
16	Point Loma Nazarene University	$65,365	$25,096	$38,729	77%
17	University of California-Santa Cruz	$65,036	$20,703	$17,890	75%
18	California Lutheran University	$64,939	$24,962	$30,109	70%
19	University of California-Santa Barbara	$64,520	$14,586	$16,109	83%
20	Chapman University	$64,461	$20,000	$46,555	82%
21	University of California-San Diego	$64,437	$17,667	$12,470	86%
22	University of Southern California	$63,125	$5,500	$32,740	92%
23	California State University-Channel Islands	$62,384	$19,500	$9,849	51%
24	University of California-Los Angeles	$61,804	$16,028	$12,548	93%
25	California State University-Sacramento	$61,775	$15,019	$9,338	56%
26	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	$61,688	$18,000	$11,531	68%
27	California State University-Long Beach	$61,492	$13,000	$10,440	69%
28	Biola University	$60,014	$27,000	$31,495	68%
29	Occidental College	$59,985	$26,272	$38,263	81%
30	University of San Diego	$59,950	$25,000	$30,365	84%
31	University of California-Merced	$59,249	$18,325	$11,983	69%
32	California State University-Stanislaus	$59,229	$15,101	$6,067	53%
33	California State University-Northridge	$59,100	$15,059	$7,021	57%
34	University of La Verne	$58,897	$26,000	$20,161	63%
35	California State University-Bakersfield	$58,885	—	$5,652	50%
36	University of California-Riverside	$58,339	$19,000	$14,304	76%
37	California State University-San Bernardino	$56,799	$15,283	$4,564	55%
38	Sonoma State University	$56,345	$19,000	$12,885	58%
39	University of California-Irvine	$56,273	$15,767	$14,251	87%
40	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	$55,707	$20,200	$13,171	49%
41	California State University-Monterey Bay	$55,654	$19,000	$13,663	59%
42	California State University-Dominguez Hills	$54,405	$16,043	$8,615	43%
43	California State University-Los Angeles	$53,908	$13,000	$3,967	53%
44	California Baptist University	$52,118	$27,000	$26,285	62%
45	California State University-Fresno	$50,728	$15,853	$7,000	57%

26 more California colleges offer Biology but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Biology graduates

Biological technician

Santa Maria area$66,110

California$71,440

U.S.$57,510

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

Santa Maria area$102,840

California$101,370

U.S.$72,040

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Natural Sciences Managers

Santa Maria area$175,400

California$210,230

U.S.$167,220

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 University of California-Santa Barbara, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About University of California-Santa Barbara

Acceptance rate: 33% · admissions
Graduation rate: 83% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $74,915
Full cost breakdown · all 53 majors · overview

Related majors at University of California-Santa Barbara

Biochemistry$90,694
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology$50,694
Chemistry$74,713
Physiology—
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$90,061

University of California-Santa Barbara Biology questions

How much do University of California-Santa Barbara Biology graduates earn?

Biology graduates of University of California-Santa Barbara earn a median $64,520 four years after graduating and $33,486 one year after. The U.S. median for Biology graduates across 837 colleges is $57,996.

How much debt do University of California-Santa Barbara Biology graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Biology graduates of University of California-Santa Barbara is $14,586, about 23% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Where does University of California-Santa Barbara rank for Biology in California?

Of 45 California colleges reporting Biology graduate earnings, University of California-Santa Barbara ranks 19th. The highest is University of the Pacific at $83,012.

What jobs do Biology graduates get?

A common career is biological technician, with a median wage of $66,110 in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA 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: “University of California-Santa Barbara Biology: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-california-santa-barbara/majors/biology (College Scorecard and BLS data).

University of California-Santa Barbara Biology: earnings, debt & careers