How much debt do UMass Lowell economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,500, which ranks 14th lowest of 20 economics bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $281 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from UMass Lowell worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 63% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.

UMass Lowell Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do UMass Lowell economics graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 89% (34 of 38) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Economics
Public university
Lowell, MA
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMass Lowell economics graduates earn less than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $41,910 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $26,500 in federal loans, more than at 82% of economics programs in the country. Several Massachusetts programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$41,91014th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,50014th lowest of 20 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings63%Massachusetts median 44%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	UMass Lowell	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,910	$57,299	$51,725
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,500	$25,000	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	63%	44%	43%
Programs compared		21	338

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts economics program

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

UMass LowellOther Massachusetts 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 $14,235 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$31,278Median debt $28,238

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$45,513Median debt $26,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $281 a month, or 8.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (34 of 38) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $41,910 salary here buys what about $38,710 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

$95,260

Median pay in Massachusetts. 28,460 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $61,500Top 10%: $122,660

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$101,810

Median pay in Massachusetts. 39,710 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $58,090Top 10%: $166,970

Data Scientists

$131,750

Median pay in Massachusetts. 9,420 people work in this job in Massachusetts. 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%: $81,030Top 10%: $206,220

Social Science Research Assistants

$63,480

Median pay in Massachusetts. 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%: $49,500Top 10%: $82,130

About UMass Lowell

In-state tuition and fees	$16,966 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$36,264 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,163 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	11,434

Economics ranks 18th of 27 bachelor's programs at UMass Lowell by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($86,167), Computer Engineering ($85,280), and Electrical Engineering ($82,798).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Lowell

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UMass LowellLowell, MA · public		$41,910	$26,500
Tufts UniversityMedford, MA · private nonprofit	20 mi	$75,125	$17,850
Brandeis UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	20 mi	$57,299	$25,295
Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA · private nonprofit	22 mi	$103,993	$6,617
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$72,099	$18,000
Boston UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$55,733	$24,500
Emmanuel CollegeBoston, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$51,698	$27,000
Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$70,531	$24,500
Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$86,367	$11,190

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,910 one year after graduating. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $57,299.

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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts, ranked21 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All UMass Lowell programs, ranked29 programs by pay and debt