Bachelor's · Waco, Texas

Is History at Baylor University worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 10.8 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $39,421; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $61,231; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $19,500; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $188k (likely $188k – $220k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $25k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in TX; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 10.8 years (likely 7.9–15.9); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$170k (likely −$279k – −$61k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $123k (likely −$75k – $362k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 82%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26