How much debt do Central Washington University history graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,250, which ranks 6th lowest of 6 history bachelor's programs in Washington. That works out to about $268 a month over 10 years.

Is a history degree from Central Washington University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 71% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%.

Central Washington University History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Central Washington University history graduates stay in Washington?

Most do. 85% (22 of 26) were working in Washington one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in History
Public university
Ellensburg, WA
About 17 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Central Washington University history graduates earn about what history graduates earn nationally, $35,747 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,973. One other Washington program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$35,74774th percentile of 370 programs nationally

Median federal debt$25,2506th lowest of 6 Washington programs

Debt-to-earnings71%Washington median 69%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Central Washington University	Washington	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,747	$30,565	$31,710
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,250	$23,804	$23,973
Debt as share of first-year pay	71%	69%	73%
Programs compared		6	370

Debt and first-year pay at every Washington history program

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

Central Washington UniversityOther Washington programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $268 a month, or 9.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

85% of graduates (22 of 26) were working in Washington one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Washington outside metro areas are about 3% below the national average, so a $35,747 salary here buys what about $36,710 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

$102,670

Median pay in Washington. 14,880 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $62,950Top 10%: $128,410

Natural Sciences Managers

$182,480

Median pay in Washington. 2,490 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $117,590Top 10%: $324,740

Tour and Travel Guides

$54,160

Median pay in Washington. 1,420 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $37,540Top 10%: $76,790

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$59,610

Median pay in Washington. 280 people work in this job in Washington. 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%: $42,430Top 10%: $77,650

About Central Washington University

In-state tuition and fees	$9,417 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,526 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,476 / year
Admission rate	91%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	7,833

History ranks 24th of 38 bachelor's programs at Central Washington University by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Management ($81,666), Management Science ($81,377), and Quality Control and Safety Technology ($77,500).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,747 one year after graduating. The median across history bachelor's programs in Washington is $30,565.

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 Washington 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 Washington, ranked6 programs by pay and debt History bachelor's programs in the US, ranked370 programs by pay and debt All Central Washington University programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt