University of Northern Colorado Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Economics
- Public university
- Greeley, CO
- About 27 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Northern Colorado economics graduates earn less than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $45,257 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. Several Colorado programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Colorado and national columns are the medians across all economics bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado economics program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Colorado medians.
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 more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $22,102 against $19,206.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $223 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
23 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $21,000.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
84% of graduates (42 of 50) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. 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 economics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$72,900Median pay in Colorado. 18,310 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
$93,050Median pay in Colorado. 27,880 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.
Data Scientists
$117,400Median pay in Colorado. 6,280 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.
Social Science Research Assistants
$50,430Median pay in Colorado. 100 people work in this job in Colorado. 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.
About University of Northern Colorado
Economics ranks 6th 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 economics bachelor's programs near Greeley
Common questions
The median graduate earns $45,257 one year after graduating. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Colorado is $51,521.
The median federal loan balance is $21,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 economics bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 46% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 43%. Compare the cost with other Colorado programs before deciding.
Most do. 84% (42 of 50) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.
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 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