History graduates from Columbia College earn $46,794 median salary, below the national average for this program. Median debt: $24,839.
History at Columbia College
Columbia, Missouri • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for History at Columbia College
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Columbia College and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for History at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 29 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Columbia College, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $46,794 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $52,288 across all institutions offering History, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at Columbia College, the mean median-earnings figure is $58,913, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for History graduates at Columbia College is $24,839, which translates to roughly $207 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.53: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
History at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth College | $136,403 | $19,000 |
| Duke University | $112,377 | $13,000 |
| Yale University | $109,947 | $8,250 |
| Amherst College | $103,601 | - |
| Washington and Lee University | $100,087 | - |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $98,079 | $21,500 |
| University of Pennsylvania | $88,517 | $10,000 |
| Brown University | $85,520 | $13,491 |
| Cornell University | $82,031 | $17,110 |
| Princeton University | $80,347 | - |
Other Programs at Columbia College
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Business/Commerce, General | $87,915 | $45,860 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $81,090 | $25,718 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $78,632 | $33,110 |
| Management Information Systems and Services | $74,816 | $26,033 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $74,683 | $25,247 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $71,989 | $22,387 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $64,997 | $31,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | $64,555 | $18,750 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | $62,392 | $29,500 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $62,060 | $31,600 |
Other Schools with History
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About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.