---
title: American Public University System — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Charles Town, WV
control: For-profit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# American Public University System

Charles Town, WV · For-profit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $44,409 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $20,126 – $73,944 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $10,282 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $7,170 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 57% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $18,768 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 83% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.23× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $16,409 | derived |

**57% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $10,282 (≈ 23% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $17,352 to $85,935 across 56 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. | Master's Degree | $85,935 | $41,147 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Master's Degree | $77,507 | $31,709 |
| International/Globalization Studies. | Master's Degree | $75,015 | $29,812 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $74,655 | $16,093 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Master's Degree | $72,770 | $33,731 |
| Public Health. | Master's Degree | $72,029 | $46,258 |
| Military Science and Operational Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $69,340 | $18,188 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $67,224 | $37,330 |
| Homeland Security. | Master's Degree | $66,045 | $38,384 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,720 | not reported |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $63,468 | $26,841 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $63,345 | $35,590 |
| Fire Protection. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,979 | $23,688 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Master's Degree | $61,938 | $37,330 |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $60,442 | $43,726 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Master's Degree | $59,339 | $32,927 |
| International/Globalization Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,758 | $22,282 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies. | Master's Degree | $56,358 | $42,053 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $56,355 | $25,852 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $54,183 | $22,988 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Master's Degree | $54,121 | $35,798 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $53,980 | $14,947 |
| Data Processing. | Associate's Degree | $53,512 | $18,018 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Master's Degree | $53,209 | $31,665 |
| History. | Master's Degree | $52,904 | $40,538 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,987 | $26,612 |
| Homeland Security. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,985 | $24,942 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,354 | $20,888 |
| Political Science and Government. | Master's Degree | $49,162 | $37,101 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,988 | $30,321 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,616 | $25,250 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $47,334 | not reported |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,663 | $21,728 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $46,077 | $7,880 |
| Education, General. | Master's Degree | $45,959 | $38,967 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $45,956 | $9,500 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Associate's Degree | $45,782 | $21,625 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,245 | $24,306 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services. | Master's Degree | $44,277 | not reported |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,993 | $31,530 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,754 | $36,282 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,598 | $30,518 |
| Psychology, General. | Master's Degree | $41,375 | $37,184 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Associate's Degree | $40,681 | $22,707 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,039 | $31,334 |
| Public Health. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,321 | $30,640 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,082 | $21,693 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Associate's Degree | $38,790 | $17,086 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,948 | $27,550 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,227 | $43,268 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Associate's Degree | $35,309 | $24,003 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,898 | $27,989 |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Associate's Degree | $34,395 | $7,940 |
| Legal Support Services. | Associate's Degree | $33,198 | $19,250 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,657 | $35,082 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Associate's Degree | $17,352 | $20,756 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore American Public University System by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?449339

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/american-public-university-system-wv.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`