Which American Public University System bachelor's program has the lowest debt?

Liberal Arts and General Studies graduates leave with a median of $6,265 in federal loans, the lowest among 29 American Public University System bachelor's programs that report debt.

How much does American Public University System cost?

Tuition and fees are $8,400 a year for all students. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $9,597 a year.

How many American Public University System programs report graduate pay?

29 bachelor's programs, 11 associate's programs, and 3 certificate programs at American Public University System report first-year pay, and all of them also report federal debt.

American Public University System Programs, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt

Private for-profit university
Charles Town, WV
40,074 undergraduates

College Scorecard June 2026 release

The short answer

29 American Public University System bachelor's programs report what graduates earn. Nursing pays the most in the first year ($85,161), and Human Development and Family Studies the least ($34,347). The median program pays $53,578. American Public University System also has 11 associate's programs and 3 certificate programs that report pay.

Tuition and fees$8,400Per year, for all students

Average net price after aid$9,597Per year

Graduation rate57%Within 6 years

All 29 bachelor's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in West Virginia" compares first-year pay with the same field's bachelor's programs across West Virginia. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in West Virginia
1	NursingAbout 119 graduates a year	$85,161	$82,848	$28,384	1st of 9
2	Fire ScienceAbout 50 graduates a year	$73,302	$81,009	$19,434	1st of 1
3	Computer and Information ScienceAbout 209 graduates a year	$68,210	$73,927	$21,544	1st of 5
4	Information TechnologyAbout 410 graduates a year	$66,588	$94,292	$24,564	1st of 1
5	Sales and MerchandisingAbout 9 graduates a year	$65,639	Not reported	$45,429	1st of 1
6	International StudiesAbout 103 graduates a year	$64,133	$83,481	$13,125	1st of 1
7	Homeland SecurityAbout 516 graduates a year	$62,340	$75,928	$19,552	1st of 1
8	Liberal Arts and General StudiesAbout 97 graduates a year	$62,059	Not reported	$6,265	1st of 11
9	Business AdministrationAbout 1,808 graduates a year	$61,687	$74,073	$20,490	2nd of 13
10	Criminal JusticeAbout 571 graduates a year	$57,409	$69,844	$19,000	1st of 7
11	Political ScienceAbout 68 graduates a year	$56,763	$87,190	$18,304	1st of 3
12	Military ScienceGraduates a year not reported	$55,351	Not reported	$19,531	1st of 1
13	Applied MathematicsAbout 33 graduates a year	$54,697	Not reported	$30,599	1st of 1
14	EntrepreneurshipAbout 32 graduates a year	$54,563	Not reported	$33,678	1st of 1
15	MarketingAbout 54 graduates a year	$53,578	$62,057	$31,379	1st of 3
16	Kinesiology and Exercise ScienceAbout 455 graduates a year	$51,381	$55,115	$19,312	1st of 7
17	AccountingAbout 61 graduates a year	$50,688	$60,064	$38,147	2nd of 5
18	Environmental Science and ConservationAbout 306 graduates a year	$50,260	$67,242	$23,875	1st of 2
19	Security Science and TechnologyAbout 60 graduates a year	$49,622	$52,779	$32,294	1st of 3
20	International RelationsGraduates a year not reported	$48,142	$64,125	$13,410	1st of 2
21	Mechanical Engineering TechnologyAbout 104 graduates a year	$48,094	Not reported	$30,810	2nd of 2
22	SociologyAbout 76 graduates a year	$47,633	$55,096	$29,278	1st of 3
23	Public HealthAbout 95 graduates a year	$47,100	$63,490	$28,999	1st of 2
24	Legal StudiesAbout 71 graduates a year	$46,109	$60,106	$41,008	1st of 1
25	PsychologyGraduates a year not reported	$39,655	$50,168	$31,973	1st of 8
26	EnglishAbout 67 graduates a year	$37,602	$40,154	$35,094	1st of 4
27	Hospitality ManagementAbout 35 graduates a year	$37,174	$55,116	$37,978	1st of 2
28	HistoryAbout 116 graduates a year	$35,198	$53,057	$26,582	1st of 2
29	Human Development and Family StudiesAbout 110 graduates a year	$34,347	$42,229	$36,275	1st of 2

Program names link to the program's own page, and West Virginia ranks link to the full ranking for the field. A program gets its own page when it reports both pay and debt and at least five West Virginia programs in the field do too.

Some nursing bachelor's programs are for nurses who are already licensed and working (RN-to-BSN). College Scorecard counts them with programs for new students, and their graduates' pay reflects years of nursing experience, so high pay at a program here may not mean higher starting pay for a new nurse.

2 more bachelor's programs report debt but not pay, so they aren't listed.

All 11 associate's programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in West Virginia" compares first-year pay with the same field's associate's programs across West Virginia. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in West Virginia
1	Liberal Arts and General StudiesAbout 1,612 graduates a year	$52,108	$64,517	$6,125	1st of 9
2	Business AdministrationAbout 315 graduates a year	$47,518	$57,549	$23,141	1st of 3
3	Criminal JusticeAbout 125 graduates a year	$46,978	$46,482	$23,486	1st of 1
4	Data ProcessingAbout 10 graduates a year	$44,801	$60,060	$19,000	1st of 1
5	BusinessAbout 214 graduates a year	$44,027	$60,839	$21,427	1st of 3
6	Real EstateAbout 47 graduates a year	$43,251	Not reported	$23,765	1st of 1
7	AccountingAbout 34 graduates a year	$42,509	$51,544	$20,097	1st of 2
8	Other Health ProfessionsAbout 662 graduates a year	$41,350	$53,537	$8,358	1st of 1
9	Paralegal StudiesAbout 33 graduates a year	$40,049	$43,421	$26,419	1st of 2
10	Public HealthAbout 40 graduates a year	$36,794	$44,031	$25,163	1st of 1
11	Human Development and Family StudiesAbout 98 graduates a year	$16,558	$27,395	$21,782	1st of 1

5 more associate's programs report debt but not pay, so they aren't listed.

All 3 certificate programs, ranked

Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. "Rank in West Virginia" compares first-year pay with the same field's certificate programs across West Virginia. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.

#	Program	Year 1 pay	Year 5 pay	Debt	Rank in West Virginia
1	Business AdministrationAbout 196 graduates a year	$54,480	$53,536	$18,708	1st of 1
2	Information TechnologyAbout 35 graduates a year	$50,957	$70,057	$21,950	1st of 1
3	Human Development and Family StudiesAbout 43 graduates a year	$31,857	$30,116	$20,964	1st of 1

2 more certificate programs report debt but not pay, so they aren't listed.

Quick picks: bachelor's programs

Highest first-year pay

Nursing$85,161
Fire Science$73,302
Computer and Information Science$68,210
Information Technology$66,588
Sales and Merchandising$65,639

Lowest median debt

Liberal Arts and General Studies$6,265
International Studies$13,125
International Relations$13,410
Political Science$18,304
Criminal Justice$19,000

Largest programs

Business AdministrationAbout 1,808 graduates a year
Criminal JusticeAbout 571 graduates a year
Homeland SecurityAbout 516 graduates a year
Kinesiology and Exercise ScienceAbout 455 graduates a year
Information TechnologyAbout 410 graduates a year

Common questions

Nursing graduates earn a median of $85,161 in their first year, the most of 29 American Public University System bachelor's programs that report pay.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Tuition, net price, graduation rate, and admission rate are for the whole school, not one program.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of West Virginia rankings when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
NCES, IPEDS tuition and fees, 2023-24, for in-district tuition labels