Bachelor's · Amherst, Massachusetts
Is Biology, General at University of Massachusetts-Amherst worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 4.9 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $48,563
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $78,117
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $22,500
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $97k (likely $97k – $100k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $34k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in MA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 4.9 years (likely 4.3–5.8)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $22k (likely −$39k – $86k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $453k (likely $297k – $618k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 81%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 5%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Biology, General at other schools
🩺 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward health & medicine majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Biology
- AP Chemistry
- AP Psychology
- AP Statistics
IB Higher Level
- Biology HL
- Chemistry HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$165,473
- Computer Science (Master's)$154,099
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral)$126,453
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$123,519
- Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$113,083
- Education, General (Doctoral)$110,816
- Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$109,628
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$106,958
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$101,091
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology (Master's)$100,729
- Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's)$100,516
- Human Resources Management and Services (Master's)$98,155
Biology, General at other schools in Massachusetts
- College of the Holy Cross$92,914
- Assumption University$83,706
- Boston College$83,614
- Stonehill College$81,361
- Merrimack College$79,581
- Northeastern University$78,327
- Northeastern University Professional Programs$78,327
- Tufts University$76,782
- University of Massachusetts-Lowell$76,149
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute$75,018