Western Michigan University Anthropology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Anthropology
- Public university
- Kalamazoo, MI
- About 8 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Michigan University anthropology graduates earn less than graduates of most anthropology programs nationally, $22,670 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $31,000 in federal loans, more than at 96% of anthropology programs in the country. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Michigan and national columns are the medians across all anthropology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan anthropology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Michigan medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $329 a month, or 17.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
Prices in the Kalamazoo area are about 5% below the national average, so a $22,670 salary here buys what about $23,903 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 anthropology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
$84,310Median pay in Michigan. 2,370 people work in this job in Michigan. 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
$72,060Median pay nationwide. 650 people work in this job in Michigan. 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.
Anthropologists and Archeologists
$64,700Median pay in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About Western Michigan University
Anthropology ranks 45th of 50 bachelor's programs at Western Michigan University by first-year earnings. The top three are Paper Science and Engineering ($86,401), Electrical Engineering ($76,145), and Nursing ($75,149).
Other anthropology bachelor's programs near Kalamazoo
Common questions
The median graduate earns $22,670 one year after graduating. The median across anthropology bachelor's programs in Michigan is $26,061.
The median federal loan balance is $31,000, which ranks 5th lowest of 6 anthropology bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $329 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 137% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 81%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.
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 Michigan 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