Economics at Hampden-Sydney College

Hampden-Sydney's economics program struggles to compete within Virginia, landing at just the 40th percentile among state schools despite relatively modest debt. While $52,155 starting is close to the national median, it trails Virginia's median by $2,500—a significant gap given that top programs in the state like UVA ($74,958) and Washington and Lee ($71,737) command substantially higher salaries. The 15% earnings growth to $60,208 by year four helps narrow this advantage gap somewhat, but graduates still earn less than what James Madison and William & Mary economics majors make right out of college.

The genuine bright spot here is the debt load: at $27,000, it's just 52% of first-year earnings, putting this program in the 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of economics programs saddle students with more debt). For families prioritizing affordability at a small liberal arts college, this matters. However, the small sample size—fewer than 30 graduates—means these numbers could swing significantly year to year and may not represent your child's likely outcome.

Bottom line: If your student is set on Hampden-Sydney for its all-male, honor code environment, the manageable debt makes this economics degree workable. But purely from an ROI perspective, they'd likely earn $10,000-20,000 more annually at Virginia's flagship public universities while paying similar or lower tuition costs. This program doesn't make a strong financial case unless the school's unique culture is worth the earnings tradeoff.