How much debt do Kennesaw State anthropology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,787, which ranks 5th lowest of 5 anthropology bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $284 a month over 10 years.

Is a anthropology degree from Kennesaw State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 88% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 81%. Compare the cost with other Georgia programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Kennesaw State anthropology graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 86% (24 of 28) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Anthropology
Public university
Kennesaw, GA
About 24 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Kennesaw State anthropology graduates earn about what anthropology graduates earn nationally, $30,544 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $26,787 in federal loans, more than at 82% of anthropology programs in the country. Two other Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$30,54470th percentile of 166 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,7875th lowest of 5 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings88%Georgia median 88%, national 81%

How it compares

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

	Kennesaw State	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$30,544	$30,544	$27,790
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,787	$22,782	$22,962
Debt as share of first-year pay	88%	88%	81%
Programs compared		5	166

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia anthropology program

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

Kennesaw StateOther Georgia 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 $284 a month, or 11.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (41 borrowers)	Share
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%

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

86% of graduates (24 of 28) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$92,450

Median pay in Georgia. 1,910 people work in this job in Georgia. 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.

Bottom 10%: $61,640Top 10%: $208,000

Forensic Science Technicians

$63,600

Median pay in Georgia. 550 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $46,490Top 10%: $89,600

Anthropologists and Archeologists

$58,990

Median pay in Georgia. 150 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $45,750Top 10%: $99,030

About Kennesaw State

In-state tuition and fees	$5,808 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,736 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,048 / year
Admission rate	69%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	41,254

Anthropology ranks 48th of 56 bachelor's programs at Kennesaw State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($80,560), Computer Engineering ($77,455), and Electrical Engineering ($74,181).

Other anthropology bachelor's programs near Kennesaw

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public		$30,544	$26,787
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$36,700	$21,515
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	23 mi	$21,157	$24,358
University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public	44 mi	$31,619	$22,782

Common questions

The median graduate earns $30,544 one year after graduating. The median across anthropology bachelor's programs in Georgia is $30,544.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Anthropology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked166 programs by pay and debt All Kennesaw State programs, ranked56 programs by pay and debt