How much debt do UMBC mathematics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $16,875, which ranks 2nd lowest of 5 mathematics bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $179 a month over 10 years.

Is a mathematics degree from UMBC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 31% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 44%, 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 Maryland programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UMBC Mathematics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UMBC mathematics graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 86% (62 of 72) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Mathematics
Public university
Baltimore, MD
About 70 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMBC mathematics graduates earn about what mathematics graduates earn nationally, $54,362 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $16,875 in federal loans, less than at 83% of mathematics programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying mathematics degrees in Maryland.

First-year earnings$54,36273rd percentile of 246 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$86,53459% more than year one

Median federal debt$16,8752nd lowest of 5 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings31%Maryland median 31%, national 44%

How it compares

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

	UMBC	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$54,362	$56,443	$48,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$86,534	$83,365	$69,322
Median federal debt at graduation	$16,875	$19,500	$21,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	31%	31%	44%
Programs compared		5	246

Five years out, UMBC graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,170 more than the Maryland median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland mathematics program

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

UMBCOther Maryland 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 59% between the first and fifth year.

UMBC grads, year 1$54,362

UMBC grads, year 5$86,534

All Maryland mathematics grads, year 5$83,365

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 $5,255 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$52,199Median debt $22,572

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$57,454Median debt $14,625

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $179 a month, or 4.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (58 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–39%
Paying down the balance	40–59%
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. Separately, 23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $21,076.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

86% of graduates (62 of 72) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Baltimore area are about 4% above the national average, so a $54,362 salary here buys what about $52,028 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 mathematics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$78,670

Median pay in Maryland. 16,640 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $58,150Top 10%: $102,690

Data Scientists

$136,370

Median pay in Maryland. 3,340 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $77,930Top 10%: $213,270

Natural Sciences Managers

$168,620

Median pay in Maryland. 4,820 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $127,920Top 10%: $268,240

Statisticians

$132,620

Median pay in Maryland. 2,730 people work in this job in Maryland. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $84,640Top 10%: $170,980

About UMBC

In-state tuition and fees	$13,256 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$31,275 / year
Average net price after aid	$16,467 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	70%
Undergraduate students	10,701

Mathematics ranks 7th of 26 bachelor's programs at UMBC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($86,444), Computer Science ($83,684), and Mechanical Engineering ($71,519).

Other mathematics bachelor's programs near Baltimore

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public		$54,362	$16,875
Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	7 mi	$83,171	$10,859
Towson UniversityTowson, MD · public	11 mi	$56,443	$25,000
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	22 mi	$79,129	$19,500
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	43 mi	$54,711	$24,000
Millersville University of PennsylvaniaMillersville, PA · public	55 mi	$48,724	$25,900

Common questions

The median graduate earns $54,362 one year after graduating and $86,534 five years after. The median across mathematics bachelor's programs in Maryland is $56,443.

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 Maryland 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 mathematics 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

Mathematics bachelor's programs in Maryland, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Mathematics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked246 programs by pay and debt All UMBC programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt