Sciences
What can you do with a Biology degree?
Quick answer
A Biology degree commonly leads to roles such as laboratory technician, research assistant and quality control technician. Five years after graduating, Biology graduates had median earnings of £34,000 (middle half: £27,400–£42,500), and 89.3% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Biosciences graduates is professional, scientific and technical services (21.9% of those in work).
Biology covers organisms, labs, and fieldwork depending on the pathway. Graduates often start in technician and research-support roles. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £23,800
- Median pay after 5 years
- £34,000
- In work or study after 5 years
- 89.3%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 73 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Professional, scientific and technical services
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 2,160
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Biology degree?
Graduates commonly start as laboratory technician, research assistant, quality control technician or conservation assistant. Biology also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Laboratory technician
Runs routine assays, maintains equipment logs, and flags out-of-spec results.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- SOPs
- pipetting
- stock control
Research assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- experiment planning
- data capture
- literature
Quality control technician
Skills these adverts often ask for
- sampling
- deviation notes
- GMP awareness
Conservation assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- surveys
- GIS basics
- volunteer coordination
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Biology graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Biosciences graduates in UK employment were professional, scientific and technical services (21.9%), health and social work (18.3%) and education (13.7%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was professional, scientific and technical services (20.1%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 21.9% | £36,200 |
| Health and social work | 18.3% | £32,600 |
| Education | 13.7% | £31,500 |
| Wholesale and retail | 6.8% | £30,000 |
| Public administration and defence | 6.6% | £34,800 |
| Information and communication | 5.6% | £41,400 |
| Administrative and support services | 5.5% | £30,000 |
| Manufacturing | 5% | £34,800 |
Most common specific industries
- Hospital activities — 11.6% of graduates in work, median £33,300
- Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering — 7% of graduates in work, median £37,000
- Secondary education — 5.4% of graduates in work, median £32,900
- Administration of the State and the economic and social policy of the community — 4.3% of graduates in work, median £35,100
- Higher education — 4% of graduates in work, median £31,100
- Primary education — 3.3% of graduates in work, median £31,800
How much do Biology graduates earn?
Official dataBiology graduates had median earnings of £23,800 one year after graduating and £34,000 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £23,800DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £19,000–£27,800 | 89.1% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £29,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,500–£35,900 | 90.5% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £34,000DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £27,400–£42,500 | 89.3% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £40,300DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £29,300–£54,500 | 87% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Biosciences graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Biosciences graduates measured, University of Oxford had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£53,400), followed by University of Cambridge (£52,700) and Imperial College London (£43,900).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| University of Oxford | £53,400 | 170 |
| University of Cambridge | £52,700 | 140 |
| Imperial College London | £43,900 | 120 |
| Durham University | £42,500 | 150 |
| University of Warwick | £41,900 | 135 |
| University of Bath | £41,000 | 150 |
| University College London | £39,900 | 150 |
| University of Edinburgh | £39,200 | 230 |
| Aston University | £38,100 | 135 |
| University of Bristol | £37,700 | 270 |
Is Biology the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You like lab or field work as much as lectures.
- You are careful with protocols and contamination control.
- You want to understand living systems in mechanistic terms.
It may not suit you if
- You dislike lab books, statistics, or repeating a failed assay.
- You wanted a purely essay-based science degree.
- You expected an automatic clinical licence.
Interview questions for Biology graduate roles
EditorialLab-technician and research-assistant interviews usually test method, contamination control, and honest recording. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
Your replicate results do not match. What do you write down, and what do you do next?
What it tests. You record the anomaly; you do not quietly drop the inconvenient well.
Walk us through how you would prepare a simple buffer without contaminating it.
What it tests. Practical aseptic or clean-lab habits, not a memorised recipe from a kit insert.
A supervisor asks you to change a protocol mid-run. How do you handle that?
What it tests. Version control of methods and asking what to do with the samples already started.
How would you explain a p-value to a non-scientist colleague without overclaiming?
What it tests. Statistical humility in a service lab.
You notice stock is out of date. What is your process?
What it tests. Quality systems: quarantine, log, and not using it ‘just this once’.
Most Biology courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Biology graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to biology. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Laboratory technician…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Biology?
EditorialLaboratory technician apprenticeships are a workplace route into similar labs. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
We have not added verified programme records for this subject yet. Use the official university catalogue for current courses, fees and entry requirements.
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Planning to study Biology in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
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Universities for Biology in our index
126 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Biology in the full university explorer.
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No university matches that search.
Undergraduate applications are made on UCAS, not here.
Biology degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Biology degree?
Common starting roles include laboratory technician, research assistant, quality control technician and conservation assistant. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Biosciences graduates in work were professional, scientific and technical services (21.9%), health and social work (18.3%) and education (13.7%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Biology graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Biology graduates of £23,800 one year after graduating, £29,600 three years after graduating, £34,000 five years after graduating and £40,300 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Biology degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 89.3% of Biology graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £34,000. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Biology 73 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Biosciences graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Biosciences were at University of Oxford (£53,400), University of Cambridge (£52,700) and Imperial College London (£43,900). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Biology in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.