---
title: Bowie State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Bowie, MD
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Bowie State University

Bowie, MD · Public · 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 | $54,537 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $32,913 – $78,678 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $12,861 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $11,250 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 38% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $25,220 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 74% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.24× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $26,537 | derived |

**38% 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 $12,861 (≈ 24% 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 $26,782 to $105,317 across 16 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $105,317 | not reported |
| Information Science/Studies. | Master's Degree | $70,305 | not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $68,584 | $21,500 |
| Public Administration. | Master's Degree | $60,110 | $39,924 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions. | Master's Degree | $55,167 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $51,055 | $27,500 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Master's Degree | $48,606 | $41,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $45,731 | $22,897 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other. | Master's Degree | $41,270 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,964 | $21,500 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,359 | $23,000 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,158 | $20,500 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,635 | $23,500 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,510 | $22,578 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,607 | $22,750 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,782 | $26,500 |

## 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 Bowie State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?162007

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/bowie-state-university-md.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`