Bachelor's · Boston, Massachusetts
Is Economics at University of Massachusetts-Boston worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 5.1 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $59,085
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $75,781
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $19,250
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $96k (likely $96k – $131k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $32k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in MA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 5.1 years (likely 4.2–6.4)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$5k (likely −$103k – $77k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $388k (likely $208k – $581k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 51%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in
- not reported / ≤ 20%
- NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20
Change income, residency or loans Compare Economics at other schools
📈 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward business & money majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Statistics
- AP Precalculus or AP Calculus AB
IB Higher Level
- Business Management HL
- Economics HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at University of Massachusetts-Boston
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate certificate)$131,133
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's)$126,694
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral)$125,777
- Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's)$112,856
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$112,398
- Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's)$108,956
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$100,902
- Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral)$98,666
- Accounting and Related Services (Master's)$98,398
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)$95,648
- Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's)$85,296
- Special Education and Teaching (Graduate certificate)$83,597
Economics at other schools in Massachusetts
- Williams College$166,678
- Harvard University$155,592
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology$154,591
- Amherst College$141,730
- Tufts University$123,809
- Wellesley College$121,787
- Boston College$121,337
- College of the Holy Cross$118,131
- Northeastern University$101,423
- Northeastern University Professional Programs$101,423