# Which majors pay back best at public colleges: earnings against debt by field of study

> For every bachelor's program at a public four-year college that reports both, graduates' median earnings four years after finishing divided by their median federal loan debt, grouped by field of study. U.S. College Scorecard data year 2025.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/data/earnings-to-debt-by-major
- Data (CSV): https://www.collegesref.com/data/earnings-to-debt-by-major.csv
- Source reporting year: 2025
- Snapshot updated: November 15, 2026

## Key findings

1. Across 11,816 bachelor's programs at 548 public four-year colleges, the median program's graduates earn 3.14 times their median federal loan debt four years after graduating ($58,454 against $19,500).
2. The best-paying fields of study relative to debt are computer and information sciences and support services (4.58 times, 488 programs) and engineering (4.56 times, 1,000 programs).
3. The lowest are visual and performing arts (2.11 times, 734 programs) and education (2.36 times, 614 programs).
4. Among 108 majors with at least 20 reporting programs, Statistics ranks first at 5.59 times and Visual and Performing Arts, General last at 1.83 times.

## By field of study

| Field family | Programs | Median earnings | Median debt | Earnings ÷ debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services | 488 | $90,070 | $19,500 | 4.58× |
| Engineering | 1,000 | $93,886 | $20,500 | 4.56× |
| Mathematics and Statistics | 184 | $72,843 | $18,337 | 4.24× |
| Transportation and Materials Moving | 34 | $85,654 | $20,500 | 4.20× |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians | 176 | $83,435 | $21,338 | 4.02× |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services | 1,675 | $69,210 | $19,450 | 3.67× |
| Health Professions and Related Programs | 1,048 | $67,676 | $19,500 | 3.54× |
| Physical Sciences | 218 | $67,324 | $19,443 | 3.43× |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies | 39 | $58,891 | $18,000 | 3.14× |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences | 684 | $58,119 | $19,500 | 3.03× |
| Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 136 | $54,298 | $18,702 | 3.03× |
| Social Sciences | 917 | $56,457 | $19,249 | 3.02× |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies | 259 | $57,116 | $18,750 | 3.01× |
| Agricultural/Animal/Plant/Veterinary Science and Related Fields | 211 | $53,934 | $18,869 | 3.01× |
| Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies | 72 | $54,428 | $17,923 | 2.98× |
| Architecture and Related Services | 88 | $65,146 | $21,500 | 2.92× |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs | 542 | $54,378 | $19,500 | 2.80× |
| Natural Resources and Conservation | 202 | $53,886 | $19,109 | 2.79× |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services | 310 | $54,633 | $20,176 | 2.78× |
| Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology | 316 | $53,313 | $19,500 | 2.75× |
| History | 250 | $50,386 | $19,500 | 2.57× |
| Psychology | 464 | $49,569 | $19,500 | 2.56× |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | 189 | $50,921 | $20,219 | 2.53× |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions | 322 | $52,451 | $20,500 | 2.51× |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 235 | $50,949 | $20,250 | 2.51× |
| English Language and Literature/Letters | 335 | $47,753 | $19,500 | 2.48× |
| Education | 614 | $49,202 | $20,608 | 2.36× |
| Visual and Performing Arts | 734 | $43,275 | $21,141 | 2.11× |

## By major

| Major | Programs | Median earnings | Median debt | Earnings ÷ debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Statistics | 25 | $88,033 | $17,165 | 5.59× |
| Computer Engineering | 105 | $105,920 | $20,489 | 5.41× |
| Industrial Engineering | 50 | $95,877 | $20,286 | 5.09× |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 48 | $91,881 | $18,624 | 5.06× |
| Applied Mathematics | 21 | $92,803 | $18,750 | 5.04× |
| Computer Science | 155 | $99,067 | $18,750 | 4.98× |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 45 | $96,090 | $20,760 | 4.82× |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 65 | $92,974 | $19,500 | 4.79× |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 154 | $99,421 | $20,925 | 4.77× |
| Construction Management | 35 | $92,971 | $19,500 | 4.70× |
| Construction Engineering Technology/Technician | 30 | $94,298 | $20,495 | 4.64× |
| Chemical Engineering | 98 | $97,009 | $21,000 | 4.54× |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 213 | $88,915 | $19,500 | 4.52× |
| Mechanical Engineering | 196 | $90,461 | $20,352 | 4.45× |
| Economics | 130 | $75,590 | $17,617 | 4.44× |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 353 | $84,557 | $18,874 | 4.40× |
| Physics | 46 | $77,719 | $18,649 | 4.27× |
| Management Information Systems and Services | 71 | $83,227 | $19,875 | 4.26× |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 28 | $76,121 | $19,094 | 4.21× |
| Civil Engineering | 152 | $84,784 | $20,060 | 4.19× |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 28 | $85,876 | $20,788 | 4.19× |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 217 | $74,852 | $18,500 | 4.16× |
| Information Science/Studies | 57 | $81,117 | $19,500 | 4.13× |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 42 | $65,961 | $15,447 | 4.11× |
| Air Transportation | 28 | $80,909 | $20,438 | 4.09× |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 27 | $82,740 | $20,000 | 4.08× |
| Mathematics | 137 | $69,787 | $18,487 | 4.07× |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 43 | $75,261 | $19,500 | 3.95× |
| Accounting and Related Services | 285 | $73,476 | $19,401 | 3.91× |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 24 | $81,766 | $20,750 | 3.89× |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | 33 | $81,259 | $21,500 | 3.88× |
| International Business | 38 | $71,272 | $18,375 | 3.84× |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General | 28 | $78,736 | $21,503 | 3.69× |
| Chemistry | 109 | $66,486 | $19,500 | 3.63× |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 80 | $65,778 | $19,395 | 3.62× |
| International/Globalization Studies | 38 | $59,806 | $16,735 | 3.61× |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 39 | $66,034 | $18,086 | 3.55× |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 33 | $64,715 | $18,500 | 3.51× |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 58 | $67,322 | $19,622 | 3.46× |
| Marketing | 239 | $65,857 | $19,250 | 3.45× |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 72 | $70,088 | $20,333 | 3.38× |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 427 | $64,086 | $19,500 | 3.37× |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 35 | $65,861 | $20,000 | 3.36× |
| Forestry | 22 | $58,575 | $18,688 | 3.24× |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 71 | $55,614 | $17,589 | 3.20× |
| Political Science and Government | 266 | $59,679 | $19,000 | 3.19× |
| Business/Commerce, General | 93 | $63,425 | $19,500 | 3.17× |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 147 | $57,932 | $19,218 | 3.15× |
| Philosophy | 36 | $58,891 | $17,080 | 3.15× |
| Nutrition Sciences | 32 | $60,817 | $19,375 | 3.14× |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 33 | $59,009 | $19,500 | 3.09× |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other | 21 | $62,718 | $19,625 | 3.08× |
| Geography and Cartography | 34 | $58,067 | $19,426 | 3.07× |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 71 | $56,452 | $18,625 | 3.04× |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 70 | $62,414 | $19,500 | 3.02× |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 29 | $58,593 | $19,500 | 3.01× |
| Plant Sciences | 30 | $54,950 | $19,000 | 2.98× |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 54 | $59,905 | $19,538 | 2.96× |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 64 | $56,901 | $19,200 | 2.95× |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 33 | $52,170 | $17,750 | 2.95× |
| Social Sciences, General | 32 | $52,541 | $19,333 | 2.94× |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 131 | $55,336 | $18,750 | 2.93× |
| Biology, General | 400 | $56,675 | $19,500 | 2.92× |
| Architecture | 39 | $65,148 | $22,000 | 2.92× |
| Public Health | 109 | $57,296 | $20,500 | 2.90× |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 50 | $51,171 | $19,025 | 2.84× |
| Apparel and Textiles | 33 | $57,576 | $20,500 | 2.84× |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 100 | $54,866 | $18,998 | 2.83× |
| Agriculture, General | 24 | $52,034 | $19,152 | 2.83× |
| Communication and Media Studies | 298 | $54,184 | $19,500 | 2.81× |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 257 | $53,707 | $19,500 | 2.81× |
| Journalism | 101 | $53,997 | $19,250 | 2.80× |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 27 | $56,183 | $20,250 | 2.79× |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | 81 | $57,722 | $22,000 | 2.76× |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 34 | $51,031 | $19,351 | 2.76× |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 30 | $53,255 | $19,107 | 2.76× |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 272 | $53,758 | $20,145 | 2.74× |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 53 | $53,319 | $19,500 | 2.69× |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 31 | $52,613 | $21,500 | 2.69× |
| Criminology | 54 | $54,584 | $20,085 | 2.68× |
| Education, General | 23 | $50,946 | $18,172 | 2.68× |
| Sociology | 235 | $51,527 | $19,500 | 2.66× |
| Human Services, General | 23 | $51,220 | $18,500 | 2.66× |
| Design and Applied Arts | 110 | $55,532 | $21,250 | 2.63× |
| Animal Sciences | 65 | $49,999 | $19,500 | 2.63× |
| History | 250 | $50,386 | $19,500 | 2.57× |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 46 | $50,484 | $20,532 | 2.57× |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | 26 | $49,552 | $20,648 | 2.56× |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 21 | $52,243 | $21,532 | 2.52× |
| Psychology, General | 412 | $49,323 | $19,500 | 2.51× |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 235 | $50,949 | $20,250 | 2.51× |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 92 | $49,020 | $19,764 | 2.51× |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 67 | $48,390 | $19,500 | 2.50× |
| English Language and Literature, General | 280 | $47,660 | $19,403 | 2.46× |
| Social Work | 254 | $51,290 | $21,029 | 2.46× |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 181 | $51,403 | $20,948 | 2.42× |
| Anthropology | 102 | $45,737 | $19,500 | 2.38× |
| Special Education and Teaching | 78 | $50,625 | $21,855 | 2.37× |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 27 | $45,502 | $20,000 | 2.37× |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 29 | $43,434 | $20,500 | 2.33× |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 311 | $47,767 | $20,500 | 2.32× |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management | 27 | $49,799 | $20,000 | 2.32× |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 62 | $44,608 | $19,999 | 2.31× |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 247 | $41,997 | $20,500 | 2.05× |
| Music | 138 | $44,752 | $21,898 | 2.05× |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General | 25 | $46,136 | $23,218 | 1.95× |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 109 | $40,118 | $21,500 | 1.88× |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | 34 | $41,113 | $21,875 | 1.83× |
| **All reported programs** | 11,816 | $58,454 | $19,500 | 3.14× |

## Methodology

- **Programs counted.** Bachelor's programs (College Scorecard field of study, credential level 3) at public colleges published on CollegesRef in a four-year Carnegie class in the 50 states or D.C., with at least 500 undergraduates, that report both median earnings and median debt.
- **Exclusions.** Private colleges, programs below the bachelor's level and programs where the Scorecard suppresses earnings or debt (usually small cohorts) are left out.
- **Reporting threshold.** A field family (2-digit CIP) needs at least 30 reporting programs and a major (4-digit CIP) at least 20; smaller groups are not reported but count in the national figures.
- **Ratio.** Median earnings of graduates four years after completion (earnings.4_yr.overall_median_earnings) divided by median federal loan debt at graduation (debt.staff_grad_plus.all.eval_inst.median) for the same program.
- **Medians.** Each group figure is the median across its programs, not weighted by graduates.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does an earnings-to-debt ratio of 3 mean?

Graduates earn three times their typical federal loan balance in a year, four years after finishing. The median public bachelor's program is at 3.14×.

### Why only public colleges?

Debt depends heavily on price, and public colleges price similarly within a state. Keeping to one sector makes the comparison about the field of study rather than private tuition.

### Are these starting salaries?

No. They are median earnings four years after completing the degree, for graduates who received federal aid, before tax.

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- IPEDS (National Center for Education Statistics): https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/
- The federal source data is a U.S. government work in the public domain (https://www.usa.gov/government-copyright).
- CollegesRef methodology: https://www.collegesref.com/methodology

## How to cite

CollegesRef, "Which majors pay back best at public colleges: earnings against debt by field of study," analysis of U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data (data year 2025), updated November 15, 2026. https://www.collegesref.com/data/earnings-to-debt-by-major

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Source: CollegesRef, https://www.collegesref.com/data/earnings-to-debt-by-major.