---
title: Claflin University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Orangeburg, SC
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Claflin University

Orangeburg, SC · Private nonprofit · 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 | $40,304 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $25,171 – $55,829 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $22,049 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $11,750 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 52% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $33,530 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 51% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.55× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $12,304 | derived |

**52% 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 $22,049 (≈ 55% 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 $19,023 to $65,862 across 11 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $65,862 | $8,969 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,628 | $35,750 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,882 | $30,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,587 | $33,000 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,056 | $30,827 |
| Human Resources Management and Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,900 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,593 | $31,000 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,088 | $31,000 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $21,063 | $32,750 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,551 | $28,912 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,023 | $30,000 |

## 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 Claflin University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?217873

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