How much debt do Kent State history graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 11th lowest of 12 history bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a history degree from Kent State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 95% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Ohio programs before deciding.

Do Kent State history graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 87% (41 of 47) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Kent State History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in History
Public university
Kent, OH
About 35 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Kent State history graduates earn about what history graduates earn nationally, $28,476 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 77% of history programs in the country. Several Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,47631st percentile of 370 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$44,02455% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,00011th lowest of 12 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings95%Ohio median 84%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Kent State	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,476	$29,480	$31,710
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$44,024	$44,024	$50,314
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,000	$23,973
Debt as share of first-year pay	95%	84%	73%
Programs compared		12	370

Five years out, Kent State graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio history program

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

Kent StateOther Ohio 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 55% between the first and fifth year.

Kent State grads, year 1$28,476

Kent State grads, year 5$44,024

All Ohio history grads, year 5$44,024

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 12.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (44 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	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. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $37,065.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

87% of graduates (41 of 47) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Akron area are about 7% below the national average, so a $28,476 salary here buys what about $30,498 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

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Natural Sciences Managers

$137,170

Median pay in Ohio. 1,560 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $78,720Top 10%: $217,760

Tour and Travel Guides

$32,800

Median pay in Ohio. 1,000 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $22,400Top 10%: $47,110

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$47,570

Median pay in Ohio. 350 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $33,280Top 10%: $80,750

About Kent State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,232 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,082 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,787 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	19,320

History ranks 46th of 56 bachelor's programs at Kent State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,990), Construction Management ($64,652), and Computer Science ($60,051).

Other history bachelor's programs near Kent

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Kent StateKent, OH · public		$28,476	$27,000
University of AkronAkron, OH · public	10 mi	$32,577	$23,100
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	30 mi	$29,535	$25,000
Baldwin Wallace UniversityBerea, OH · private nonprofit	31 mi	$31,163	$27,000
College of WoosterWooster, OH · private nonprofit	39 mi	$28,013	$26,720

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,476 one year after graduating and $44,024 five years after. The median across history bachelor's programs in Ohio is $29,480.

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 Ohio 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 Ohio, ranked12 programs by pay and debt History bachelor's programs in the US, ranked370 programs by pay and debt All Kent State programs, ranked66 programs by pay and debt