Program ranking · CIP 03.06 bachelor's · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges for Wildlife Biology

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data retrieved March-July 2026, these colleges rank highest on median earnings for Wildlife Biology (CIP 03.06) bachelor's completers. Rankings use earnings only - not prestige, selectivity, or editorial judgment - and require at least 25 completers so tiny suppressed cohorts do not dominate the list.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$54,449
Highest wildlife biology earnings: 24
Colleges ranked: $38,899
#24 cutoff

The list in one line

Every college on this list reports at least $38,899 median earnings for Wildlife Biology bachelor's (CIP 03.06) completers. Auburn University leads at $54,449.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$54,449
#1 - Auburn University: $38,899
#24 - the cutoff to make this list: 25+
completers required per school: 60
US schools offering this CIP

Earnings are field-of-study medians for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled; see methodology for horizon and lag details.

Auburn University

$54,449
South Dakota State Unive…

$50,623
Michigan State University

$49,948
Bemidji State University

$49,040
The University of Tennes…

$48,882
Virginia Polytechnic Ins…

$47,496
University of New Hampsh…

$47,370
California State Polytec…

$47,003
University of California…

$46,209
University of Nevada-Reno

$46,171
University of Rhode Island

$45,571
University of Maine

$45,502
Mississippi State Univer…

$45,445
West Virginia University

$45,348
Tennessee Technological …

$45,348

What this shows Wildlife-biology medians mix agency, NGO, and graduate-school pipelines - debt still matters when field pay sits below clinical health fields.

The full top 24

#	School Name	State	Median Earnings	Median Debt	Completers
1	Auburn University	AL	$54,449	$21,750	35
2	South Dakota State University	SD	$50,623	$20,250	34
3	Michigan State University	MI	$49,948	$28,332	64
4	Bemidji State University	MN	$49,040	$18,750	33
5	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$48,882	$25,000	56
6	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	VA	$47,496	$21,390	72
7	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus	NH	$47,370	$27,000	26
8	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	CA	$47,003	$21,889	95
9	University of California-Davis	CA	$46,209	$15,000	100
10	University of Nevada-Reno	NV	$46,171	$16,270	34
11	University of Rhode Island	RI	$45,571	$23,817	35
12	University of Maine	ME	$45,502	$26,841	30
13	Mississippi State University	MS	$45,445	$21,625	69
14	West Virginia University	WV	$45,348	$19,746	54
15	Tennessee Technological University	TN	$45,348	$11,000	44
16	Utah State University	UT	$45,120	$19,133	43
17	University of Georgia	GA	$44,818	$22,000	41
18	The University of Montana	MT	$43,286	$21,500	64
19	Missouri State University-Springfield	MO	$42,618	$20,750	25
20	University of Delaware	DE	$42,567	$25,130	42
21	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point	WI	$42,330	$24,000	65
22	University of Florida	FL	$40,434	$16,500	38
23	Unity Environmental University	ME	$39,017	$27,000	31
24	Delaware Valley University	PA	$38,899	$25,750	34

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by College Scorecard field-of-study median earnings for Wildlife Biology (CIP 03.06) bachelor's completers. Only operating schools with at least 25 completers and a published median are included. Ties break toward larger completer cohorts. For the full program profile - including every reporting school and national distribution - see Wildlife Biology (bachelor's). Methodology lives on our methodology page.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means highest reported median earnings for the stated CIP scope - not teaching quality, licensure pass rates, clinical placement strength, or fit for any one student. This list covers Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (CIP 03.06) bachelor's programs - zoology (CIP 26.07) and animal sciences (CIP 01.09) are ranked separately when demand warrants.

Figures cover federally aided completers only, use Treasury-linked earnings, and describe a lagged cohort. Regional pay scales and graduate-school paths both move the median without proving a causal school effect.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute academic or career advice. Earnings do not predict any individual graduate's outcome.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard field-of-study data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.