---
title: Is a History degree worth the debt?
cip: 5401
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a History degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **434** colleges (434 of 434 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $28,939 ($30,083 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $21,379 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.73× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $25,616–$32,826 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bachelor's | $28,939 | $21,379 | 0.73× | 434 | 434/434 |
| Master's | $39,754 | $40,591 | 0.98× | 38 | 38/38 |

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

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yale University (CT) | $52,357 | $8,250 |
| Princeton University (NJ) | $50,775 | — |
| Harvard University (MA) | $50,411 | $12,721 |
| University of Pennsylvania (PA) | $50,380 | $10,000 |
| American Public University System (WV) | $48,988 | $30,321 |
| University of Notre Dame (IN) | $47,439 | $19,000 |
| Tufts University (MA) | $47,243 | $15,500 |
| Georgetown University (DC) | $46,691 | $16,640 |
| New York University (NY) | $45,990 | $18,875 |
| Boston College (MA) | $45,345 | $18,997 |
| Duke University (NC) | $45,091 | $13,000 |
| National University (CA) | $44,540 | $29,687 |
| Salisbury University (MD) | $43,857 | $20,500 |
| University of Maryland Global Campus (MD) | $43,853 | $16,373 |
| Monmouth University (NJ) | $43,793 | $27,000 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/history.jsonld` · `/education/fields/history.json`