ROI Major

Biology, General at Concordia University - Saint Paul

MN · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 26.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Biology, General degree from Concordia University - Saint Paul earn a median salary of $64,834 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $68,899. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.5 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$40,243

Typical Career

$64,834

Top Performers

$90,511

Estimated break-even: 7.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$432

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,403. Most students can comfortably afford about a $432 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 20.6%
Educational Services 14.6%
Public Administration 8.7%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$68,899

Nominal: $64,834 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

7.5 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $26,554 $36,783 $47,631
5 Years After Graduation $40,243 $64,834 $90,511
10 Years After Graduation $75,158 $97,992 $122,926

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $64,834 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $64,834 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $68,899 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates with a degree in Biology, General from Concordia University - Saint Paul can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,783, which increases to $64,834 after five years and reaches $97,992 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $68,899, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living relative to national averages, despite Minnesota's slightly lower cost of living index.

The top industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (20.6%), Educational Services (14.6%), and Public Administration (8.7%), reflecting a strong alignment with sectors that value a biology background. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.5 years, suggesting that the investment in a degree can yield significant returns over time. Overall, pursuing a Biology degree at Concordia University - Saint Paul appears to offer a favorable return on investment, particularly for those entering high-demand fields.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Biology, General degree at Concordia University - Saint Paul stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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