Natural Resources Conservation and Research at Bates College

The small graduating cohorts here make conclusions tentative, but the fundamentals look surprisingly solid for an environmental science degree from a highly selective liberal arts college. Bates graduates start at $38,437—above both the national and Maine medians—while carrying just $9,614 in debt, roughly one-third of what students typically borrow for this degree. That creates a remarkably favorable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.25, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans with less than a quarter of their first year's salary.

The 23% earnings bump by year four suggests these graduates are finding their footing in a field where entry-level opportunities can be limited. Bates actually leads all Maine programs in this comparison except the University of Maine's flagship offering, which edges them out by less than $1,000 annually. For a program at a 13% acceptance rate school, that competitive performance against state universities is noteworthy—you're not paying a significant earnings penalty for the private college experience.

The catch is the tiny sample size, which means one or two high earners could skew these figures considerably. But if your child is already targeting Bates and cares about conservation work, the debt load is low enough that career passion can legitimately factor into the decision without creating financial hardship.