How much debt do Columbia University philosophy graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,062, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 philosophy bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $213 a month over 10 years.

Is a philosophy degree from Columbia University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 38% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%.

Columbia University Philosophy (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Philosophy
Private nonprofit university
New York, NY
About 75 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Columbia University philosophy graduates earn more than graduates of most philosophy programs nationally, $52,668 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $20,062 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,584. It is one of the higher-paying philosophy degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$52,66897th percentile of 74 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$33,50336% less than year one

Median federal debt$20,0623rd lowest of 6 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings38%New York median 55%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	Columbia University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$52,668	$33,339	$30,894
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$33,503	$51,993	$54,937
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,062	$23,125	$22,584
Debt as share of first-year pay	38%	55%	67%
Programs compared		9	74

Five years out, Columbia University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $18,490 less than the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York philosophy program

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

Columbia UniversityOther New York 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 falls about 36% between the first and fifth year.

Columbia University grads, year 1$52,668

Columbia University grads, year 5$33,503

All New York philosophy grads, year 5$51,993

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 $213 a month, or 4.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $52,668 salary here buys what about $46,790 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 philosophy, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Natural Sciences Managers

$134,680

Median pay in New York. 5,690 people work in this job in New York. 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%: $65,440Top 10%: $291,780

Mathematicians

$126,950

Median pay in New York. 150 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 100 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $79,110Top 10%: $261,670

About Columbia University

Tuition and fees	$71,845 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,590 / year
Admission rate	4%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	96%
Undergraduate students	8,973

Philosophy ranks 17th of 26 bachelor's programs at Columbia University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($118,636), Operations Research ($110,457), and Computer Engineering ($102,083).

Other philosophy bachelor's programs near New York

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Columbia UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit		$52,668	$20,062
Lehman CollegeBronx, NY · public	6 mi	$43,311	$18,700
NYUNew York, NY · private nonprofit	6 mi	$40,359	$24,128
Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn, NY · public	12 mi	$27,926	$14,125

Common questions

The median graduate earns $52,668 one year after graduating and $33,503 five years after. The median across philosophy bachelor's programs in New York is $33,339.

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 New York 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 philosophy 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

Philosophy bachelor's programs in New York, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Philosophy bachelor's programs in the US, ranked74 programs by pay and debt All Columbia University programs, ranked26 programs by pay and debt