BYU Human Development and Family Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Provo, UT
  • About 266 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

BYU human development and family studies graduates earn less than graduates of most human development and family studies programs nationally, $25,342 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $11,250 in federal loans, less than at 99% of human development and family studies programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Utah median of $26,561.

First-year earnings$25,3426th percentile of 143 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$30,89922% more than year one
Median federal debt$11,250The lowest of 5 Utah programs
Debt-to-earnings44%Utah median 52%, national 73%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Utah and national columns are the medians across all human development and family studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, BYU graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,848 less than the Utah median. Several Utah programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Utah human development and family studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Utah medians.

BYUOther Utah programs

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 22% between the first and fifth year.

BYU grads, year 1$25,342
BYU grads, year 5$30,899
All Utah human development and family studies grads, year 5$35,747

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 $119 a month, or 5.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (165 of 218) were working in Utah one year after graduating. Prices in the Provo area are about 2% below the national average, so a $25,342 salary here buys what about $25,798 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

$31,630

Median pay in Utah. 4,830 people work in this job in Utah. 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.

Bottom 10%: $23,040Top 10%: $43,440

Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education

$35,010

Median pay in Utah. 3,670 people work in this job in Utah. 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.

Bottom 10%: $28,770Top 10%: $47,300

Social and Human Service Assistants

$39,930

Median pay in Utah. 6,540 people work in this job in Utah. 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.

Bottom 10%: $33,790Top 10%: $55,840

Farm and Home Management Educators

$60,220

Median pay nationwide. 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 BYU

Human Development and Family Studies ranks 57th of 64 bachelor's programs at BYU by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($90,625), Computer Engineering ($88,785), and Finance ($83,876).

Other human development and family studies bachelor's programs near Provo

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,342 one year after graduating and $30,899 five years after. The median across human development and family studies bachelor's programs in Utah is $26,561.

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 Utah 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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