How much debt do Colorado State anthropology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,367, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 anthropology bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $269 a month over 10 years.

Is a anthropology degree from Colorado State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 93% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 81%. Compare the cost with other Colorado programs before deciding.

Colorado State Anthropology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Colorado State anthropology graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 62% (29 of 47) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Anthropology
Public university
Fort Collins, CO
About 52 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Colorado State anthropology graduates earn about what anthropology graduates earn nationally, $27,178 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,367 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,962. Two other Colorado programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$27,17846th percentile of 166 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$52,10992% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,3673rd lowest of 5 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings93%Colorado median 72%, national 81%

How it compares

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

	Colorado State	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$27,178	$27,178	$27,790
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$52,109	$42,366	$45,049
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,367	$25,517	$22,962
Debt as share of first-year pay	93%	72%	81%
Programs compared		5	166

Five years out, Colorado State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,743 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado anthropology program

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

Colorado StateOther Colorado 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 92% between the first and fifth year.

Colorado State grads, year 1$27,178

Colorado State grads, year 5$52,109

All Colorado anthropology grads, year 5$42,366

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 $269 a month, or 11.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (52 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20% or less
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
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. Separately, 20 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $27,513.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

62% of graduates (29 of 47) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Fort Collins area are about 1% above the national average, so a $27,178 salary here buys what about $26,875 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 anthropology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$103,410

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Forensic Science Technicians

$84,010

Median pay in Colorado. 510 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,080Top 10%: $114,100

Anthropologists and Archeologists

$68,620

Median pay in Colorado. 250 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $42,300Top 10%: $116,060

About Colorado State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,373 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$34,783 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,279 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	67%
Undergraduate students	25,538

Anthropology ranks 52nd of 52 bachelor's programs at Colorado State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($78,856), Construction Engineering Technology ($78,423), and Electrical Engineering ($78,038).

Other anthropology bachelor's programs near Fort Collins

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public		$27,178	$25,367
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public	23 mi	$35,432	$25,667
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	40 mi	$36,822	$20,000
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	58 mi	$21,930	$31,135

Common questions

The median graduate earns $27,178 one year after graduating and $52,109 five years after. The median across anthropology bachelor's programs in Colorado is $27,178.

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 Colorado 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 anthropology 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

Anthropology bachelor's programs in Colorado, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Anthropology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked166 programs by pay and debt All Colorado State programs, ranked52 programs by pay and debt