How much debt do UMKC history graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,445, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 history bachelor's programs in Missouri. That works out to about $270 a month over 10 years.

Is a history degree from UMKC worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 105% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Missouri programs before deciding.

UMKC History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in History
Public university
Kansas City, MO
About 25 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UMKC history graduates earn less than graduates of most history programs nationally, $24,289 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,445 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,973. Several Missouri programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$24,2898th percentile of 370 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,50387% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,4453rd lowest of 6 Missouri programs

Debt-to-earnings105%Missouri median 91%, national 73%

How it compares

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

	UMKC	Missouri	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$24,289	$27,424	$31,710
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,503	$45,503	$50,314
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,445	$27,000	$23,973
Debt as share of first-year pay	105%	91%	73%
Programs compared		6	370

Five years out, UMKC graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Missouri median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Missouri history program

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

UMKCOther Missouri 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 87% between the first and fifth year.

UMKC grads, year 1$24,289

UMKC grads, year 5$45,503

All Missouri history grads, year 5$45,503

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 $270 a month, or 13.3% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Kansas City area are about 7% below the national average, so a $24,289 salary here buys what about $26,246 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

$59,240

Median pay in Missouri. 24,380 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $40,540Top 10%: $79,300

Natural Sciences Managers

$129,410

Median pay in Missouri. 1,230 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $65,650Top 10%: $229,950

Tour and Travel Guides

$31,980

Median pay in Missouri. 1,360 people work in this job in Missouri. 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.

Bottom 10%: $29,470Top 10%: $48,120

Museum Technicians and Conservators

$49,170

Median pay in Missouri. 850 people work in this job in Missouri. 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%: $37,660Top 10%: $69,970

About UMKC

In-state tuition and fees	$12,587 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$30,227 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,310 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	55%
Undergraduate students	6,817

History ranks 21st of 22 bachelor's programs at UMKC by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($76,086), Nursing ($71,150), and Mechanical Engineering ($71,072).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $24,289 one year after graduating and $45,503 five years after. The median across history bachelor's programs in Missouri is $27,424.

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 Missouri 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 Missouri, ranked6 programs by pay and debt History bachelor's programs in the US, ranked370 programs by pay and debt All UMKC programs, ranked22 programs by pay and debt