How much debt do Central Michigan University economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 10 economics bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from Central Michigan University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.

Central Michigan University Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Economics
Public university
Mount Pleasant, MI
About 8 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Central Michigan University economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $48,636 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 85% of economics programs in the country. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$48,63640th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$65,63235% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0006th lowest of 10 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings56%Michigan median 53%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	Central Michigan University	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$48,636	$49,211	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$65,632	$65,632	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,768	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	53%	43%
Programs compared		10	338

Five years out, Central Michigan University graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan economics program

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

Central Michigan UniversityOther Michigan 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 35% between the first and fifth year.

Central Michigan University grads, year 1$48,636

Central Michigan University grads, year 5$65,632

All Michigan economics grads, year 5$65,632

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 $286 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (23 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

Prices in the parts of Michigan outside metro areas are about 11% below the national average, so a $48,636 salary here buys what about $54,664 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 economics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$66,030

Median pay in Michigan. 25,540 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $47,830Top 10%: $98,720

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$66,780

Median pay in Michigan. 24,220 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 82,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $40,930Top 10%: $127,190

Data Scientists

$100,590

Median pay in Michigan. 7,360 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 35% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $60,830Top 10%: $162,670

Social Science Research Assistants

$60,210

Median pay in Michigan. 750 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $41,970Top 10%: $82,870

About Central Michigan University

Tuition and fees	$14,760 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,597 / year
Admission rate	90%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	59%
Undergraduate students	10,035

Economics ranks 15th of 53 bachelor's programs at Central Michigan University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($74,135), Electrical Engineering ($71,457), and Mechanical Engineering ($69,862).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $48,636 one year after graduating and $65,632 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Michigan is $49,211.

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 Michigan 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 economics 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

Economics bachelor's programs in Michigan, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All Central Michigan University programs, ranked53 programs by pay and debt