Animal Sciences at Brigham Young University-Idaho

BYU-Idaho's Animal Sciences program starts graduates at barely above minimum wage—$25,661 in the first year—ranking in just the 5th percentile nationally. That's roughly $8,000 below the national median and $5,000 below Idaho's state median for the same degree. Even compared to the University of Idaho's Animal Sciences program, which places graduates at $36,486, BYU-Idaho students earn nearly $11,000 less initially. The only silver lining is relatively modest debt at $18,870, though even that sits at the 84th percentile nationally.

The 48% earnings growth to $37,885 by year four tells a story of graduates potentially moving beyond entry-level ranch hand or animal care positions into farm management or technical roles. However, this still barely reaches the national starting median. For context, this program ranks in just the 25th percentile among Idaho's limited Animal Sciences offerings—not where you'd want to land in a two-school comparison.

If your child is passionate about Animal Sciences and values BYU-Idaho's environment and tuition structure, understand they'll likely spend several years working for very low wages before potentially reaching average earnings. The more prudent path for an Idaho resident might be the University of Idaho, where graduates start significantly higher. This program works best for students with family ranching operations or other built-in career pathways rather than those counting on the degree alone to launch a financially stable career.