Free tool · federal data

What does this major pay at different colleges?

Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.

Side by side

Is it worth it? The federal figures, side by side

Federal data cannot decide that for you, but it puts what graduates earned beside what they borrowed. Programs appear in the order you added them, with no ranking.

Median earnings four years after graduating, federal debt, monthly payment and peer comparisons for Purdue University-Main Campus Animal Science.
MeasurePurdue University-Main CampusAnimal Science, bachelor's · INRemove
Median earnings, 4 years after graduating$54,089 (134 graduates)
Federal debt borrowed at this college (median)$19,500
Monthly payment, 10-year plan$207
Payment as a share of median monthly earningsbefore taxroughly 5%
National median, same program and degree$49,634
Typical program nearbythe state, or its Census division when the state has fewer than 3 programs$50,769 (East North Central, 9 programs)
Total federal debt counting every college attendeda second federal measure; it includes loans from colleges attended before this one$20,500

Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Debt: graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20. The monthly payment is a standard 10-year plan on the median debt borrowed at that college. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education.College cost is not shown here; each college's profile has its net price.

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Animal Science, bachelor's programs nationwide

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Animal Science earn a median $49,634 four years after graduating. Among 59 programs with federal earnings data, University of Georgia (GA) graduates had the highest median, $61,176 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

Programs with data
59
Highest median
$61,176
National median
$49,634
The link opens this exact comparison.
Animal Science, bachelor's programs nationwide: median earnings four years after graduating and median federal debt, in order of earnings.
CollegeStateMedian earnings, 4 yrs aftervs national medianDebt borrowed at this college (median)Add to the side-by-side comparison
University of GeorgiaGA$61,176+23%$18,250Compare
University of Wisconsin-MadisonWI$57,605+16%$25,000Compare
Texas A & M University-College StationTX$57,324+15%$17,592Compare
University of Maryland, College ParkMD$56,248+13%$21,500Compare
University of ArkansasAR$56,136+13%$21,616Compare
Texas Tech UniversityTX$55,753+12%$20,000Compare
Stephen F Austin State UniversityTX$54,984+11%$20,250Compare
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA$54,805+10%$20,500Compare
Michigan State UniversityMI$54,751+10%$25,023Compare
Rutgers University-New BrunswickFigure covers 3 campusesNJ$54,509+10%$24,250Compare
Purdue University-Main CampusIN$54,089+9%$19,500In comparison
Oklahoma State University-Main CampusOK$53,971+9%$18,750Compare
Colorado State University-Fort CollinsCO$53,934+9%$21,500Compare
University of KentuckyKY$53,918+9%$20,800Compare
South Dakota State UniversitySD$53,784+8%$21,349Compare
California State University-FresnoCA$53,579+8%$17,500Compare
University of Wisconsin-PlattevilleWI$53,530+8%$18,748Compare
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMO$53,418+8%$18,089Compare
North Carolina State University at RaleighNC$53,226+7%$20,921Compare
Auburn UniversityAL$53,117+7%$19,500Compare
California State Polytechnic University-PomonaCA$53,017+7%$15,167Compare
Cornell UniversityFigure covers 2 campusesNY$52,967+7%$12,730Compare
Mississippi State UniversityMS$52,755+6%$19,719Compare
West Virginia UniversityFigure covers 3 campusesWV$52,548+6%$19,500Compare
Iowa State UniversityIA$51,644+4%$20,500Compare

The 25 highest of 59 programs. Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.

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Same major, other degree levels: Associate's

What these numbers are

Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: Animal Sciences. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).