Is a anthropology degree from University of Northern Colorado worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 81%.

University of Northern Colorado Anthropology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do University of Northern Colorado anthropology graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,667, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 anthropology bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $272 a month over 10 years.

Bachelor's in Anthropology
Public university
Greeley, CO
About 6 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Northern Colorado anthropology graduates earn more than graduates of most anthropology programs nationally, $35,432 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,667 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,962. One other Colorado program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$35,43292nd percentile of 166 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$33,9414% less than year one

Median federal debt$25,6674th lowest of 5 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings72%Colorado median 72%, national 81%

How it compares

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

	University of Northern Colorado	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$35,432	$27,178	$27,790
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$33,941	$42,366	$45,049
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,667	$25,517	$22,962
Debt as share of first-year pay	72%	72%	81%
Programs compared		5	166

Five years out, University of Northern Colorado graduates earn less than the national figure and about $8,425 less than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado anthropology program

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

University of Northern ColoradoOther Colorado 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 falls about 4% between the first and fifth year.

University of Northern Colorado grads, year 1$35,432

University of Northern Colorado grads, year 5$33,941

All Colorado anthropology grads, year 5$42,366

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 $272 a month, or 9.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Greeley area are about the same as the national average.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to anthropology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists

$103,410

Median pay nationwide. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.

Forensic Science Technicians

$84,010

Median pay in Colorado. 510 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $63,080Top 10%: $114,100

Anthropologists and Archeologists

$68,620

Median pay in Colorado. 250 people work in this job in Colorado. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $42,300Top 10%: $116,060

About University of Northern Colorado

In-state tuition and fees	$12,416 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$27,266 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,760 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	51%
Undergraduate students	5,598

Anthropology ranks 18th of 32 bachelor's programs at University of Northern Colorado by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($74,308), Computer Engineering ($56,557), and Business Administration ($50,739).

Other anthropology bachelor's programs near Greeley

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Northern ColoradoGreeley, CO · public		$35,432	$25,667
Colorado StateFort Collins, CO · public	23 mi	$27,178	$25,367
CU BoulderBoulder, CO · public	41 mi	$36,822	$20,000
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	49 mi	$21,930	$31,135

Common questions

The median graduate earns $35,432 one year after graduating and $33,941 five years after. The median across anthropology bachelor's programs in Colorado is $27,178.

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 Colorado 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 anthropology 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

Anthropology bachelor's programs in Colorado, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Anthropology bachelor's programs in the US, ranked166 programs by pay and debt All University of Northern Colorado programs, ranked32 programs by pay and debt