How much debt do Southern Oregon University history graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 history bachelor's programs in Oregon. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a history degree from Southern Oregon University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 77% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Oregon programs before deciding.

Southern Oregon University History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in History
Public university
Ashland, OR
About 11 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Southern Oregon University history graduates earn about what history graduates earn nationally, $28,067 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,973. One other Oregon program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,06726th percentile of 370 programs nationally

Median federal debt$21,5003rd lowest of 5 Oregon programs

Debt-to-earnings77%Oregon median 77%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	Southern Oregon University	Oregon	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,067	$25,571	$31,710
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$22,916	$23,973
Debt as share of first-year pay	77%	77%	73%
Programs compared		5	370

Debt and first-year pay at every Oregon history program

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

Southern Oregon UniversityOther Oregon 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 $228 a month, or 9.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Medford area are about 1% above the national average, so a $28,067 salary here buys what about $27,670 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

$79,570

Median pay in Oregon. 11,730 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $49,640Top 10%: $101,310

Natural Sciences Managers

$143,120

Median pay in Oregon. 1,700 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $102,760Top 10%: $225,560

Tour and Travel Guides

$39,260

Median pay in Oregon. 530 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $30,920Top 10%: $64,620

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$45,820

Median pay in Oregon. 170 people work in this job in Oregon. 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%: $34,720Top 10%: $69,320

About Southern Oregon University

In-state tuition and fees	$12,762 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$31,887 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,732 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	2,751

History ranks 13th of 17 bachelor's programs at Southern Oregon University by first-year earnings. The top three are Management Information Systems ($59,328), Computer and Information Science ($51,167), and Business Administration ($48,074).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,067 one year after graduating. The median across history bachelor's programs in Oregon is $25,571.

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 Oregon 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 Oregon, ranked5 programs by pay and debt History bachelor's programs in the US, ranked370 programs by pay and debt All Southern Oregon University programs, ranked17 programs by pay and debt