How much debt do University of Maryland economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,097, which ranks 3rd lowest of 7 economics bachelor's programs in Maryland. That works out to about $213 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from University of Maryland worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less.

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

Q: Do University of Maryland economics graduates stay in Maryland?

Most do. 64% (228 of 357) were working in Maryland one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Economics
Public university
College Park, MD
About 320 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Maryland economics graduates earn about what economics graduates earn nationally, $58,650 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $20,097 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. One other Maryland program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$58,65073rd percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$86,89748% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,0973rd lowest of 7 Maryland programs

Debt-to-earnings34%Maryland median 40%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	University of Maryland	Maryland	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$58,650	$51,483	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$86,897	$77,388	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,097	$21,920	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	40%	43%
Programs compared		7	338

Five years out, University of Maryland graduates earn more than the national figure and about $9,509 more than the Maryland median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Maryland economics program

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

University of MarylandOther 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 48% between the first and fifth year.

University of Maryland grads, year 1$58,650

University of Maryland grads, year 5$86,897

All Maryland economics grads, year 5$77,388

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 $8,101 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$52,758Median debt $21,124

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$60,859Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $213 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (311 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	15–19%
Paying down the balance	45–49%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–14%
In default	5% 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, 85 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $27,242.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

64% of graduates (228 of 357) were working in Maryland one year after graduating. Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $58,650 salary here buys what about $53,865 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

$78,670

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

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$76,370

Median pay in Maryland. 13,570 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $41,600Top 10%: $145,600

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

Social Science Research Assistants

$65,550

Median pay in Maryland. 700 people work in this job in Maryland. 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%: $47,260Top 10%: $113,020

About University of Maryland

In-state tuition and fees	$11,809 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$41,186 / year
Average net price after aid	$15,678 / year
Admission rate	45%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	89%
Undergraduate students	30,760

Economics ranks 18th of 51 bachelor's programs at University of Maryland by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($99,756), Computer Engineering ($95,847), and Electrical Engineering ($85,500).

Other economics bachelor's programs near College Park

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public		$58,650	$20,097
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	22 mi	$53,024	$21,500
UMBCBaltimore, MD · public	22 mi	$54,859	$21,920
Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	29 mi	$78,181	$12,494
Towson UniversityTowson, MD · public	33 mi	$50,910	$18,838
Goucher CollegeBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	35 mi	$46,774	$25,000
Washington CollegeChestertown, MD · private nonprofit	50 mi	$50,835	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $58,650 one year after graduating and $86,897 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Maryland is $51,483.

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 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 Maryland, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All University of Maryland programs, ranked51 programs by pay and debt