Buyer Beware
First-Year Earnings and Debt for 37,000 College Majors at 4,400 Institutions
Summary
Did you know that in the first year after graduation you can make more money with an associate’s degree in nursing from Santa Rosa Junior College in California than with a graduate degree from some programs at Harvard University? Data from the College Scorecard reveal many more surprising details of post-college outcomes for students and families about that all-important first year after graduation. Buyer Beware: First-Year Earnings and Debt for 37,000 College Majors at 4,400 Institutions finds that first-year earnings for the same degree in the same major can vary by $80,000 at different colleges and universities. It also reveals that workers with less education can often make more than workers with more education, and that higher levels of education do not always result in higher student loan payments.
Find Your Major and School
Explore the data visualization to see how earnings and debt for your college major compares to other majors, degree levels, and the same major at other institutions.
Please use dropdown menus to filter outcomes by credential level, major, and state; use the search box to search for an institution; click on a point to see more information about the program and highlight other programs within the same institution.
Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of US Department of Education College Scorecard data, 2020.
Rank Earnings, Debt, and Earnings Net of Debt by State, College, and Major
Curious to find the best bargains in your state?
Explore the state rankings to see how earnings, debt, and earnings net of debt stack up across majors and institutions.
Please click on a state on the left to see additional data by degree level within a state; then click on the degree level to see data by college or university, and then click on college or university to see data by program of study within that college or university.
Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce analysis of US Department of Education College Scorecard data, 2020.
Resources
Buyer Beware: First-Year Earnings and Debt for 37,000 College Majors at 4,400 Institutions finds that first-year earnings for the same degree and major can vary by $80,000 at different colleges.
