How much debt do Salem State education graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 education bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a education degree from Salem State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 82% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 68%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

Salem State Education (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Salem State education graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 86% (67 of 78) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Education, General
Public university
Salem, MA
About 25 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Salem State education graduates earn less than graduates of most education programs nationally, $33,065 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,542. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$33,06520th percentile of 66 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$46,52941% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0003rd lowest of 6 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings82%Massachusetts median 73%, national 68%

How it compares

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

	Salem State	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$33,065	$33,401	$38,660
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$46,529	$53,517	$47,167
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,500	$26,542
Debt as share of first-year pay	82%	73%	68%
Programs compared		6	66

Five years out, Salem State graduates earn about the national figure but about $6,988 less than the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts education program

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

Salem StateOther Massachusetts 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 41% between the first and fifth year.

Salem State grads, year 1$33,065

Salem State grads, year 5$46,529

All Massachusetts education grads, year 5$53,517

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $2,161 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$32,418Median debt $28,610

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$34,579Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 10.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (146 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	20–29%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% or less

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 (67 of 78) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $33,065 salary here buys what about $30,541 buys in a typical US city.

About Salem State

In-state tuition and fees	$12,338 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$19,531 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,996 / year
Admission rate	96%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	4,291

Education ranks 12th of 18 bachelor's programs at Salem State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($80,641), Computer and Information Science ($57,706), and Chemistry ($49,439).

Other education bachelor's programs near Salem

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Salem StateSalem, MA · public		$33,065	$27,000
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	15 mi	$27,891	$27,000
Merrimack CollegeNorth Andover, MA · private nonprofit	16 mi	$29,368	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $33,065 one year after graduating and $46,529 five years after. The median across education bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $33,401.

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 Massachusetts 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 education 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

Education bachelor's programs in Massachusetts, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Education bachelor's programs in the US, ranked66 programs by pay and debt All Salem State programs, ranked18 programs by pay and debt