How much debt do University of Cincinnati economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,264, which ranks 3rd lowest of 13 economics bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $225 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from University of Cincinnati worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 36% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%.

Do University of Cincinnati economics graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 67% (30 of 45) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

University of Cincinnati Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Economics
Public university
Cincinnati, OH
About 84 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Cincinnati economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $58,590 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,264 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. It is one of the higher-paying economics degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$58,59073rd percentile of 338 programs nationally

Median federal debt$21,2643rd lowest of 13 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings36%Ohio median 44%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	University of Cincinnati	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$58,590	$55,087	$51,725
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,264	$24,551	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	36%	44%	43%
Programs compared		13	338

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio economics program

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

University of CincinnatiOther Ohio programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $2,219 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$56,118Median debt $23,222

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$58,337Median debt $20,553

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $225 a month, or 4.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (44 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $41,902.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

67% of graduates (30 of 45) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Cincinnati area are about 5% below the national average, so a $58,590 salary here buys what about $61,434 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 economics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,800

Median pay in Ohio. 49,540 people work in this job in Ohio. 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%: $48,370Top 10%: $103,150

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$72,790

Median pay in Ohio. 27,370 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 82,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,860Top 10%: $129,270

Data Scientists

$102,630

Median pay in Ohio. 6,100 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 35% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $61,710Top 10%: $160,650

Social Science Research Assistants

$50,330

Median pay in Ohio. 240 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $23,770Top 10%: $104,420

About University of Cincinnati

In-state tuition and fees	$13,976 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,310 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,648 / year
Admission rate	85%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	75%
Undergraduate students	29,882

Economics ranks 18th of 59 bachelor's programs at University of Cincinnati by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($83,489), Chemical Engineering ($82,372), and Electrical Engineering ($80,045).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Cincinnati

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of CincinnatiCincinnati, OH · public		$58,590	$21,264
Miami UniversityOxford, OH · public	29 mi	$57,379	$25,500
University of DaytonDayton, OH · private nonprofit	46 mi	$34,671	$22,791
Hanover CollegeHanover, IN · private nonprofit	58 mi	$45,740	$26,898

Common questions

The median graduate earns $58,590 one year after graduating. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Ohio is $55,087.

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 Ohio 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 economics 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

Economics bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked13 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All University of Cincinnati programs, ranked74 programs by pay and debt