How much debt do Cal State San Bernardino history graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $13,141, which ranks 4th lowest of 30 history bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $139 a month over 10 years.

Is a history degree from Cal State San Bernardino worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 55% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several California programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Cal State San Bernardino History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State San Bernardino history graduates stay in California?

Most do. 93% (68 of 73) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in History
Public university
San Bernardino, CA
About 103 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State San Bernardino history graduates earn less than graduates of most history programs nationally, $24,077 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $13,141 in federal loans, less than at 97% of history programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the California median of $28,417.

First-year earnings$24,0777th percentile of 370 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$51,326113% more than year one

Median federal debt$13,1414th lowest of 30 California programs

Debt-to-earnings55%California median 55%, national 73%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all history bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Cal State San Bernardino	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$24,077	$28,417	$31,710
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$51,326	$53,228	$50,314
Median federal debt at graduation	$13,141	$15,929	$23,973
Debt as share of first-year pay	55%	55%	73%
Programs compared		30	370

Five years out, Cal State San Bernardino graduates earn about the national figure but about $1,902 less than the California median. Several California programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every California history program

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

Cal State San BernardinoOther California 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 113% between the first and fifth year.

Cal State San Bernardino grads, year 1$24,077

Cal State San Bernardino grads, year 5$51,326

All California history grads, year 5$53,228

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 $139 a month, or 6.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (58 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

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

93% of graduates (68 of 73) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Riverside area are about 6% above the national average, so a $24,077 salary here buys what about $22,620 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 history, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$101,370

Median pay in California. 99,230 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $64,600Top 10%: $132,600

Natural Sciences Managers

$210,230

Median pay in California. 14,950 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $130,730Top 10%: $330,050

Tour and Travel Guides

$46,000

Median pay in California. 6,900 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $36,500Top 10%: $66,220

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$61,550

Median pay in California. 1,610 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,660Top 10%: $86,200

About Cal State San Bernardino

In-state tuition and fees	$8,093 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,693 / year
Average net price after aid	$4,564 / year
Admission rate	94%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	15,023

History ranks 36th of 41 bachelor's programs at Cal State San Bernardino by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($93,142), Physics ($57,114), and Computer Engineering ($49,043).

Other history bachelor's programs near San Bernardino

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · public		$24,077	$13,141
UC RiversideRiverside, CA · public	15 mi	$29,824	$19,330
Cal Poly PomonaPomona, CA · public	30 mi	$25,728	$15,000
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	38 mi	$27,083	$14,524
UC IrvineIrvine, CA · public	47 mi	$23,480	$15,929
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	49 mi	$26,862	$14,721
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	53 mi	$25,014	$15,000
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	56 mi	$36,876	$12,638
Cal State Dominguez HillsCarson, CA · public	58 mi	$27,975	$14,635

Common questions

The median graduate earns $24,077 one year after graduating and $51,326 five years after. The median across history bachelor's programs in California is $28,417.

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 California 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 history 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

History bachelor's programs in California, ranked30 programs by pay and debt History bachelor's programs in the US, ranked370 programs by pay and debt All Cal State San Bernardino programs, ranked41 programs by pay and debt