Appalachian State Human Development and Family Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
- Public university
- Boone, NC
- About 39 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Appalachian State human development and family studies graduates earn less than graduates of most human development and family studies programs nationally, $30,062 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,935 in federal loans, less than at 83% of human development and family studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the North Carolina median of $33,878.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all human development and family studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Appalachian State graduates earn less than the national figure but about $2,007 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina human development and family studies program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 47% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $201 a month, or 8.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
89% of graduates (34 of 38) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of North Carolina outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $30,062 salary here buys what about $34,003 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to human development and family studies, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Childcare Workers
$29,140Median pay in North Carolina. 12,550 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 150,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
$35,710Median pay in North Carolina. 18,370 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Social and Human Service Assistants
$42,850Median pay in North Carolina. 9,020 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 48,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Farm and Home Management Educators
$64,280Median pay in North Carolina. 910 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Appalachian State
Human Development and Family Studies ranks 34th of 52 bachelor's programs at Appalachian State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($69,420), Computer Science ($68,675), and Construction Management ($59,809).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $30,062 one year after graduating and $44,147 five years after. The median across human development and family studies bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $33,878.
The median federal loan balance is $18,935, which ranks the lowest of 5 human development and family studies bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $201 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 63% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several North Carolina programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.
Most do. 89% (34 of 38) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- 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 North Carolina comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the human development and family studies program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024