BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Mathematics worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 331 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$3,863 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
10.2 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−2%Estimated return after 10 years
$70,257Observed earnings · year 4
$18,143Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark would need to fall by $966 per year to reach it.
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$72,570
$8,000Annual price+$40,570
$16,000Annual price+$8,570
$19,000Current college-wide context−$3,430
$24,000Annual price−$23,430
$32,000Annual price−$55,430
$40,000Annual price−$87,430
Outcomes at a glance
$70,257Typical earnings four years after completion
$74,963Average earnings five years after completion
$21,589Typical federal student debt
63thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
29Degrees awarded in 2024–25
309College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 24 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Mathematics
How much do Mathematics bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $70,257 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $21,589. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Mathematics?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $62,727 to $81,845 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Mathematics?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 7 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $84,699
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $61,557
- Federal debt
- $14,622
- Programs in the comparison
- 13
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $70,257
- Federal debt
- $21,589
- Programs in the comparison
- 331
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $70,298
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 11
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $75,361
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 2
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$62,727National median$70,25775th percentile$81,845
309 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
Duke University
$297,029 four years after completionDurham, NC · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtVanderbilt University
$10,000 among completer borrowersNashville, TN · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
237 reported awards in 2024–25Madison, WI · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$172,826Observed year-4 earnings$98,709
Duke University$29,612 price · $297,029 earningsMassachusetts Institute of Technology$20,111 price · $174,951 earningsUniversity of Chicago$14,860 price · $172,826 earningsDartmouth College$29,519 price · $168,580 earningsVanderbilt University$15,846 price · $141,171 earningsJohns Hopkins University$18,809 price · $134,785 earningsCornell University$28,690 price · $134,455 earningsWilliams College$17,716 price · $134,304 earningsGeorgetown University$40,815 price · $127,760 earningsNortheastern University$30,915 price · $125,084 earningsAmherst College$23,367 price · $124,324 earningsGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus$12,116 price · $122,099 earningsColumbia University in the City of New York$21,590 price · $117,252 earningsRose-Hulman Institute of Technology$42,513 price · $112,187 earningsSouthern Methodist University$40,892 price · $111,773 earningsBoston College$41,704 price · $111,072 earningsVillanova University$43,756 price · $109,851 earningsUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $109,146 earningsNorthwestern University$29,167 price · $107,072 earningsRensselaer Polytechnic Institute$36,228 price · $105,768 earningsBentley University$37,930 price · $101,971 earningsUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$11,655 price · $101,599 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison$17,354 price · $101,438 earningsMuhlenberg College$28,905 price · $100,869 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $100,127 earningsUniversity of Washington-Bothell Campus$12,319 price · $100,127 earningsUniversity of Maryland-College Park$15,678 price · $99,689 earningsUniversity of California, Los Angeles$12,548 price · $99,269 earningsDrexel University$38,509 price · $98,709 earningsWashington University in St Louis$21,786 price · $98,497 earnings
$12,116Annual college-wide average net price$41,704
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Duke University$297,0292Massachusetts Institute of Technology$174,9513University of Chicago$172,8264Dartmouth College$168,5805Vanderbilt University$141,1716Johns Hopkins University$134,7857Cornell University$134,4558Williams College$134,3049Georgetown University$127,76010Northeastern University$125,084Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →37%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Natural Sciences Managers$167,220 median wage108,690 jobs nationwide+8.2% projected growth through 2035 · 9,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,710–$316,850 typical wage rangeMathematicians$126,710 median wage2,030 jobs nationwide+0.6% projected growth through 2035 · 100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$69,240–$195,190 typical wage rangeMathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$79,940 median wage47,670 jobs nationwide+1.7% projected growth through 2035 · 3,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,180–$139,340 typical wage rangeData Scientists$120,230 median wage262,440 jobs nationwide+34.6% projected growth through 2035 · 24,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$67,240–$199,130 typical wage rangeStatisticians$105,650 median wage29,030 jobs nationwide+11.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$64,000–$174,050 typical wage rangeMathematical Science Occupations, All Other$81,490 median wage3,720 jobs nationwide+7.1% projected growth through 2035 · 200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$47,980–$154,580 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
CA28 programs$70,471 average earningsNY26 programs$81,089 average earningsTX21 programs$66,118 average earningsPA19 programs$73,372 average earningsOH17 programs$68,966 average earningsMA16 programs$93,113 average earningsNJ15 programs$73,295 average earningsVA10 programs$76,384 average earningsIL10 programs$85,601 average earningsWI9 programs$74,772 average earningsNC9 programs$96,063 average earningsWA8 programs$77,677 average earnings
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.