Economics at Ohio University-Eastern Campus

Ohio University-Eastern's economics program produces graduates earning $46,655 initially—about $5,000 below both the national and Ohio medians for economics degrees. While the program sits in just the 40th percentile among Ohio's economics programs, there's an upside: graduates see solid 24% earnings growth by year four, reaching $58,025, which matches what top-tier programs achieve initially. The manageable $19,750 in debt keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio at a reasonable 0.42, meaning graduates owe less than half their first-year salary.

The catch here is data reliability. With fewer than 30 graduates in the sample, these numbers could shift significantly with just a handful of outlier outcomes. The low Pell Grant percentage (9%) also suggests this campus serves a different demographic than many regional campuses, which might affect outcome comparability.

For an anxious parent, this looks like a budget-friendly path to an economics degree if your child is already drawn to this campus for personal reasons—perhaps proximity to home or a specific program feature. The debt load won't be crushing, and the earnings trajectory trends upward. But if your student has admission offers from Cincinnati or Miami University, those programs deliver $10,000+ higher starting salaries that would compound over a career. Consider this a serviceable option rather than an economics powerhouse.