Economics at Albion College

Albion's economics program sits right in the middle of Michigan's offerings—40th percentile statewide—with first-year earnings of $48,756 trailing both the state median ($49,210) and national average ($51,722) by a few thousand dollars. That said, graduates here carry notably less debt than typical economics majors: $27,000 versus $26,768 statewide and $22,816 nationally. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55 is manageable, meaning graduates owe about half of what they'll earn in their first year. Earnings do climb 14% by year four, reaching $55,527, though this remains below what you'd see at Michigan's flagship programs like U-M Ann Arbor ($68,416) or Michigan State ($54,013).

The big caveat here: this data reflects fewer than 30 graduates, so individual circumstances heavily influence these medians. With an 83% admission rate and 45% of students on Pell grants, Albion serves a broader economic range of students than many Michigan schools, which may partially explain the middle-of-the-pack outcomes.

For families prioritizing lower debt over peak earnings potential, this represents a reasonable path into economics careers. But if maximizing salary is the priority and your child can gain admission to Michigan's larger public universities, those programs deliver stronger returns at similar or only slightly higher debt levels.