How much debt do Texas State physics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,500, which ranks 4th lowest of 6 physics bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $249 a month over 10 years.

Is a physics degree from Texas State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 49%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.

Texas State Physics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Physics
Public university
San Marcos, TX
About 20 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Texas State physics graduates earn about what physics graduates earn nationally, $41,737 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,000. Two other Texas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$41,73730th percentile of 67 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$101,450143% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,5004th lowest of 6 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings56%Texas median 56%, national 49%

How it compares

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

	Texas State	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,737	$39,285	$48,374
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$101,450	$92,183	$80,500
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,500	$23,500	$23,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	56%	49%
Programs compared		6	67

Five years out, Texas State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,267 more than the Texas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas physics program

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

Texas StateOther Texas 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 143% between the first and fifth year.

Texas State grads, year 1$41,737

Texas State grads, year 5$101,450

All Texas physics grads, year 5$92,183

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 $249 a month, or 7.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Austin area are about 2% below the national average, so a $41,737 salary here buys what about $42,560 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 physics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$63,590

Median pay in Texas. 111,660 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $50,410Top 10%: $78,020

Natural Sciences Managers

$129,960

Median pay in Texas. 7,470 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $74,200Top 10%: $213,280

Physicists

$184,040

Median pay in Texas. 580 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Bottom 10%: $69,960Top 10%: $289,950

About Texas State

In-state tuition and fees	$11,450 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$22,930 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,805 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	36,177

Physics ranks 29th of 64 bachelor's programs at Texas State by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Engineering Technology ($76,646), Electrical Engineering ($72,990), and Nursing ($72,861).

Other physics bachelor's programs near San Marcos

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Texas StateSan Marcos, TX · public		$41,737	$23,500
UT AustinAustin, TX · public	30 mi	$36,832	$20,333
UTSASan Antonio, TX · public	46 mi	$36,328	$27,508

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,737 one year after graduating and $101,450 five years after. The median across physics bachelor's programs in Texas is $39,285.

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 Texas 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 physics 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

Physics bachelor's programs in Texas, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Physics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked67 programs by pay and debt All Texas State programs, ranked65 programs by pay and debt