How much debt do Penn State philosophy graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,878, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 philosophy bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $253 a month over 10 years.

Is a philosophy degree from Penn State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 134% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Pennsylvania programs before deciding.

Penn State Philosophy (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Philosophy
Public university
University Park, PA
About 33 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Penn State philosophy graduates earn less than graduates of most philosophy programs nationally, $17,881 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,878 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,584. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$17,8814th percentile of 74 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$63,726256% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,8782nd lowest of 6 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings134%Pennsylvania median 85%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	Penn State	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$17,881	$30,581	$30,894
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$63,726	$63,726	$54,937
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,878	$26,000	$22,584
Debt as share of first-year pay	134%	85%	67%
Programs compared		6	74

Five years out, Penn State graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Pennsylvania median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania philosophy program

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

Penn StateOther Pennsylvania 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 256% between the first and fifth year.

Penn State grads, year 1$17,881

Penn State grads, year 5$63,726

All Pennsylvania philosophy grads, year 5$63,726

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 $253 a month, or 17.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the State College area are about 3% below the national average, so a $17,881 salary here buys what about $18,479 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

$137,900

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 7,980 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $59,040Top 10%: $312,510

Mathematicians

$126,710

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 100 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

About Penn State

In-state tuition and fees	$20,644 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$41,790 / year
Average net price after aid	$32,875 / year
Admission rate	61%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	86%
Undergraduate students	42,284

Philosophy ranks 102nd of 103 bachelor's programs at Penn State by first-year earnings. The top three are Petroleum Engineering ($85,795), Computer Engineering ($85,446), and Computer and Information Science ($84,050).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $17,881 one year after graduating and $63,726 five years after. The median across philosophy bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $30,581.

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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Philosophy bachelor's programs in the US, ranked74 programs by pay and debt All Penn State programs, ranked121 programs by pay and debt