First professional · Columbus, Ohio

Is Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State University-Main Campus 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: $116,666; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $142,843; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $194,841; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $207k (likely $207k – $207k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $80k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in OH; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 5.1 years (likely 4.4–5.8); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: $157k (likely $53k – $272k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $1.11M (likely $854k – $1.40M); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.