DegreeVerdict
ROI Calculator
Home›Majors›Philosophy
BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Philosophy worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 123 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$136,782 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.

21.5 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−54%Estimated return after 10 years
$56,849Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
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.

What stays fixed$56,849 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$56,849Typical earnings four years after completion
$56,745Average earnings five years after completion
$22,862Typical federal student debt
39thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
17Degrees awarded in 2024–25
86College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 7 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Philosophy

How much do Philosophy bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $56,849 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 $22,862. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Philosophy?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $49,583 to $63,410 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Philosophy?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 4 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

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.

CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$56,849
Federal debt
$22,862
Programs in the comparison
123
86 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$71,734
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
2
2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Doctoral Degree

Year-4 earnings
$115,630
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$67,892
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

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$49,583National median$56,84975th percentile$63,410
86 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$63,41075th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$22,862Median federal debt across programs that report it
14Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
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

University of Pennsylvania

$107,454 four years after completionPhiladelphia, PA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

$13,500 among completer borrowersSeattle, WA · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

University of California, Los Angeles

116 reported awards in 2024–25Los Angeles, CA · 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.

$97,519Observed year-4 earnings$60,571
$3,203Annual college-wide average net price$36,586
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

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 →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Pennsylvania$107,4542California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$98,5923Boston College$97,5194CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice$78,0415William & Mary$75,4236Fordham University$74,5077University of California, Santa Barbara$71,7968The University of Texas at Austin$71,7909University of Chicago$71,70910University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$70,709

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

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

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary$80,260 median wage20,460 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,140–$139,580 typical wage rangeNatural 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 range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Religion/Religious Studies

Year-4 earnings
$47,791
Federal debt
$25,000
51 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

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.

CA16 programs$56,741 average earningsNY9 programs$57,228 average earningsPA6 programs$67,011 average earningsTX5 programs$53,342 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.