Western Kentucky University History (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in History
- Public university
- Bowling Green, KY
- About 24 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Kentucky University history graduates earn less than graduates of most history programs nationally, $27,177 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,965 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,973. Several Kentucky programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Kentucky and national columns are the medians across all history bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Western Kentucky University graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Kentucky median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Kentucky history program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Kentucky medians.
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 64% between the first and fifth year.
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 $243 a month, or 10.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
86% of graduates (32 of 37) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating. Prices in the Bowling Green area are about 10% below the national average, so a $27,177 salary here buys what about $30,137 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
$61,560Median pay in Kentucky. 12,780 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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.
Natural Sciences Managers
$126,440Median pay in Kentucky. 400 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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.
Tour and Travel Guides
$36,070Median pay in Kentucky. 1,010 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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.
Museum Technicians and Conservators
$49,940Median pay in Kentucky. 80 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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.
About Western Kentucky University
History ranks 38th of 45 bachelor's programs at Western Kentucky University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($74,205), Mechanical Engineering ($70,722), and Nursing ($68,294).
Other history bachelor's programs near Bowling Green
Common questions
The median graduate earns $27,177 one year after graduating and $44,446 five years after. The median across history bachelor's programs in Kentucky is $28,132.
The median federal loan balance is $22,965, which ranks 2nd lowest of 6 history bachelor's programs in Kentucky. That works out to about $243 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 85% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 73%. Compare the cost with other Kentucky programs before deciding.
Most do. 86% (32 of 37) were working in Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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