Anthropology at California State University-Channel Islands

With only a handful of graduates tracked, the numbers here are too shaky to draw firm conclusions about this program's typical outcomes. That said, what we're seeing—$26,500 first-year earnings against $21,000 in debt—lands right at the median for anthropology programs both nationally and within California, where the state median is $27,856.

The debt load actually looks better than California's typical anthropology program (which averages $16,834), though earnings trail behind top state performers like UC Santa Barbara and Sacramento State by $5,000-6,000. The 0.79 debt-to-earnings ratio is manageable compared to many liberal arts programs, meaning graduates enter repayment with debt roughly equivalent to 80% of their first-year salary.

The real question is whether this small sample tells you anything reliable. With under 30 tracked graduates, a single outlier—whether a student who went straight to grad school or one who landed an unusually good job—could dramatically swing these averages. If your student is seriously considering anthropology here, they should connect with the department directly to understand typical career paths and whether recent graduates have actually found work in the field or are cobbling together retail and service jobs while figuring out next steps.