College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is an Apparel and Textiles degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 56 colleges (56 of 56 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$36,316

Graduates only, early career.$35,327 two years out.

Median federal debt

$22,975

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.62×

62% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Apparel and Textiles report early-career pay between $31,763 and $39,053 — a spread of $7,290 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $31,763 median $36,316 75th pct $39,053

Where an Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Cornell University NY $55,049 —

Indiana University-Bloomington IN $46,519 $19,500 debt

University of Delaware DE $44,866 $22,250 debt

Ohio University-Eastern Campus OH $42,157 $23,750 debt

Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus OH $42,157 $23,750 debt

Ohio University-Southern Campus OH $42,157 $23,750 debt

Ohio University-Lancaster Campus OH $42,157 $23,750 debt

Ohio University-Main Campus OH $42,157 $23,750 debt

Ohio University-Zanesville Campus OH $42,157 $23,750 debt

Fashion Institute of Technology NY $42,008 $19,500 debt

Iowa State University IA $41,681 $21,560 debt

University of Wisconsin-Stout WI $39,900 $25,000 debt

Florida State University FL $39,397 $17,750 debt

North Dakota State University-Main Campus ND $39,136 $21,500 debt

Northern Illinois University IL $39,025 —

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Apparel and Textiles, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard