History at Ohio University-Southern Campus

Ohio University-Southern's history program starts graduates at a difficult $24,075—the 5th percentile nationally and well below Ohio's $26,910 median. That first year represents a tough financial reality where debt ($26,000) actually exceeds annual income. However, the picture transforms dramatically: earnings jump 73% to $41,689 by year four, ultimately surpassing both state and national averages for history majors.

This trajectory matters because it shifts the program from financially precarious to manageable within a few years. While graduates from flagship campuses like Miami University or Cincinnati start $7,000-8,000 higher, Southern Campus students who weather that difficult first year see their debt-to-earnings ratio improve significantly. The question becomes whether your student can handle that initial period of underemployment—perhaps living at home or working multiple jobs—before career momentum builds.

The moderate sample size suggests this pattern is reasonably reliable, though the extremely low Pell Grant percentage (12%) raises questions about whether less affluent students are avoiding this path entirely, possibly because that first-year earnings cliff is too steep. If your family can provide financial support during the early career phase, the long-term outcomes become competitive. Without that cushion, the initial debt burden against such low starting pay creates real hardship risk.