Is a other interdisciplinary studies degree from Minnesota State Mankato worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 80% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%. Compare the cost with other Minnesota programs before deciding.

Minnesota State Mankato Other Interdisciplinary Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Minnesota State Mankato other interdisciplinary studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $30,325, which ranks 5th lowest of 7 other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $321 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Minnesota State Mankato other interdisciplinary studies graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 62% (28 of 45) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Public university
Mankato, MN
About 33 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Minnesota State Mankato other interdisciplinary studies graduates earn about what other interdisciplinary studies graduates earn nationally, $37,880 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,325 in federal loans, more than at 82% of other interdisciplinary studies programs in the country. Several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$37,88044th percentile of 182 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$43,60515% more than year one

Median federal debt$30,3255th lowest of 7 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings80%Minnesota median 68%, national 65%

How it compares

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

	Minnesota State Mankato	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,880	$42,192	$39,112
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$43,605	$56,606	$54,061
Median federal debt at graduation	$30,325	$30,038	$25,591
Debt as share of first-year pay	80%	68%	65%
Programs compared		7	182

Five years out, Minnesota State Mankato graduates earn less than the national figure and about $13,001 less than the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota other interdisciplinary studies program

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

Minnesota State MankatoOther Minnesota 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 15% between the first and fifth year.

Minnesota State Mankato grads, year 1$37,880

Minnesota State Mankato grads, year 5$43,605

All Minnesota other interdisciplinary studies grads, year 5$56,606

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 $321 a month, or 10.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (42 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

62% of graduates (28 of 45) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Mankato area are about 9% below the national average, so a $37,880 salary here buys what about $41,647 buys in a typical US city.

About Minnesota State Mankato

In-state tuition and fees	$9,572 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$18,942 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,139 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	54%
Undergraduate students	11,703

Other Interdisciplinary Studies ranks 28th of 36 bachelor's programs at Minnesota State Mankato by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Management ($75,682), Nursing ($75,655), and Computer and Information Science ($71,742).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,880 one year after graduating and $43,605 five years after. The median across other interdisciplinary studies bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $42,192.

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 Minnesota 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 other interdisciplinary studies 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

Other Interdisciplinary Studies bachelor's programs in Minnesota, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Other Interdisciplinary Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked182 programs by pay and debt All Minnesota State Mankato programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt