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

Is a Forestry degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 33 colleges (33 of 33 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$38,479

Graduates only, early career.$38,289 two years out.

Median federal debt

$20,582

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.52×

52% 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 Forestry report early-career pay between $35,706 and $40,805 — a spread of $5,099 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $35,706 median $38,479 75th pct $40,805

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Associate's 3 colleges $34,613 $12,000 0.37×

Bachelor's 33 colleges $38,479 $20,582 0.52×

Master's 5 colleges $47,213 — —

Where a 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.

North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC $54,960 $21,750 debt

Auburn University AL $47,039 $18,750 debt

Clemson University SC $43,121 $22,875 debt

University of Georgia GA $42,980 $14,500 debt

University of Maine ME $42,908 $23,269 debt

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State DuBois PA $41,479 $20,089 debt

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA $41,479 $20,089 debt

Mississippi State University MS $41,301 $19,000 debt

California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt CA $40,805 $21,000 debt

West Virginia University WV $40,623 $20,500 debt

Oregon State University OR $39,710 —

Oregon State University-Cascades Campus OR $39,710 —

Iowa State University IA $39,406 $18,750 debt

Michigan Technological University MI $39,262 $25,500 debt

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $39,187 $19,500 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Forestry, 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