How much debt do University of West Georgia economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,250, which ranks 3rd lowest of 6 economics bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $268 a month over 10 years.

Is a economics degree from University of West Georgia 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 Georgia programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do University of West Georgia economics graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 89% (25 of 28) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Economics
Public university
Carrollton, GA
About 8 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of West Georgia economics graduates earn less than graduates of most economics programs nationally, $39,899 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,717. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$39,89910th percentile of 338 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$58,93948% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,2503rd lowest of 6 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings63%Georgia median 54%, national 43%

How it compares

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

	University of West Georgia	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,899	$45,226	$51,725
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$58,939	$80,203	$77,760
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,250	$26,125	$22,717
Debt as share of first-year pay	63%	54%	43%
Programs compared		6	338

Five years out, University of West Georgia graduates earn less than the national figure and about $21,264 less than the Georgia median. Several Georgia programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia economics program

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

University of West GeorgiaOther Georgia 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 West Georgia grads, year 1$39,899

University of West Georgia grads, year 5$58,939

All Georgia economics grads, year 5$80,203

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 $268 a month, or 8.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (25 of 28) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta 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

$75,480

Median pay in Georgia. 25,730 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $49,450Top 10%: $96,820

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$75,850

Median pay in Georgia. 27,810 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $37,700Top 10%: $148,910

Data Scientists

$104,340

Median pay in Georgia. 9,260 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $67,750Top 10%: $170,010

Social Science Research Assistants

$66,620

Median pay in Georgia. 1,840 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $40,650Top 10%: $136,810

About University of West Georgia

In-state tuition and fees	$6,088 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,800 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,786 / year
Admission rate	52%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	7,520

Economics ranks 10th of 25 bachelor's programs at University of West Georgia by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($77,140), Computer and Information Science ($69,653), and Accounting ($53,940).

Other economics bachelor's programs near Carrollton

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of West GeorgiaCarrollton, GA · public		$39,899	$25,250
Morehouse CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$40,726	$27,000
Spelman CollegeAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$59,907	$27,000
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	43 mi	$40,598	$28,500
Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	47 mi	$71,340	$21,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,899 one year after graduating and $58,939 five years after. The median across economics bachelor's programs in Georgia is $45,226.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked338 programs by pay and debt All University of West Georgia programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt