Anthropology (Bachelor's) Programs in Michigan, Ranked by Graduate Pay and Debt
- 6 programs report first-year pay
- 6 also report federal debt
- Bachelor's in Anthropology
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
The median Michigan anthropology bachelor's program pays its graduates $26,061 in their first year, $1,729 less than the national median. Michigan State reports the highest first-year pay ($28,617), and University of Michigan the lowest median debt ($14,623).
All 6 programs, ranked
Each figure is the median for the program's graduates. Programs that don't report a figure are listed last when you sort by it.
One more program reports debt but not pay, so it isn't listed.
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 the 6 programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Quick picks
Highest first-year pay
- Michigan State$28,617
- Grand Valley State$27,350
- Wayne State$26,858
- Central Michigan University$25,264
- University of Michigan$24,079
Lowest median debt
- University of Michigan$14,623
- Wayne State$26,493
- Grand Valley State$27,000
- Michigan State$28,084
- Central Michigan University$31,000
Lowest debt for the pay
"Debt for the pay" is median debt divided by first-year pay. Only programs that report both figures are included.
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.
Common questions
Michigan State in East Lansing reports the highest median first-year pay, $28,617. Its median federal debt is $28,084.
University of Michigan reports the lowest median federal debt, $14,623, with first-year pay of $24,079.
The median across 6 Michigan anthropology bachelor's programs is $26,061 in the first year after graduating and $45,830 five years after.
6 Michigan programs report first-year pay for their graduates, and 6 of them also report federal debt.
Related pages
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid, and earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school.
- 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 rankings when their main campus is in another state.
- Medians are across the anthropology bachelor's programs that report each figure, so the counts differ by figure. Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
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
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024