How much debt do University of Mary Washington history graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,018, which ranks 7th lowest of 16 history bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.

Is a history degree from University of Mary Washington worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Virginia programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

University of Mary Washington History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of Mary Washington history graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 79% (19 of 24) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in History
Public university
Fredericksburg, VA
About 30 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Mary Washington history graduates earn about what history graduates earn nationally, $31,965 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,018 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,973. Several Virginia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$31,96552nd percentile of 370 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$51,22760% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,0187th lowest of 16 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings72%Virginia median 72%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	University of Mary Washington	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$31,965	$32,368	$31,710
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$51,227	$51,200	$50,314
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,018	$24,188	$23,973
Debt as share of first-year pay	72%	72%	73%
Programs compared		16	370

Five years out, University of Mary Washington graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Virginia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia history program

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

University of Mary WashingtonOther Virginia 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 60% between the first and fifth year.

University of Mary Washington grads, year 1$31,965

University of Mary Washington grads, year 5$51,227

All Virginia history grads, year 5$51,200

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 $244 a month, or 9.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (56 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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

79% of graduates (19 of 24) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $31,965 salary here buys what about $29,357 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

$72,170

Median pay in Virginia. 31,100 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $49,900Top 10%: $107,930

Natural Sciences Managers

$150,570

Median pay in Virginia. 1,470 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $84,080Top 10%: $212,620

Tour and Travel Guides

$38,120

Median pay nationwide. 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.

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$52,190

Median pay in Virginia. 310 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $37,060Top 10%: $90,230

About University of Mary Washington

In-state tuition and fees	$14,640 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,560 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,667 / year
Admission rate	80%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	66%
Undergraduate students	3,566

History ranks 11th of 17 bachelor's programs at University of Mary Washington by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($76,301), Nursing ($76,013), and Mathematics ($61,247).

Other history bachelor's programs near Fredericksburg

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Mary WashingtonFredericksburg, VA · public		$31,965	$23,018
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	38 mi	$25,992	$24,625
VCURichmond, VA · public	52 mi	$29,794	$23,750
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	54 mi	$31,852	$23,750
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	55 mi	$42,020	$23,715
St. Mary's College of MarylandSt. Mary's City, MD · public	57 mi	$28,929	$23,943
UVACharlottesville, VA · public	59 mi	$34,028	$19,352

Common questions

The median graduate earns $31,965 one year after graduating and $51,227 five years after. The median across history bachelor's programs in Virginia is $32,368.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked16 programs by pay and debt History bachelor's programs in the US, ranked370 programs by pay and debt All University of Mary Washington programs, ranked17 programs by pay and debt