History at Providence College

Providence College's History program produces earnings that look impressive nationally but require closer examination given the small sample size. First-year graduates earn $41,923—well above the national median of $31,220 and ranking in the 95th percentile nationwide. However, in Rhode Island, where it matters most for tuition purposes, the program sits at just the 60th percentile, trailing Brown's $42,296 by a small margin but more significantly outperforming URI and Rhode Island College.

The financial equation here is straightforward: $27,000 in debt against strong earnings yields a manageable 0.64 debt-to-earnings ratio. More importantly, the 56% earnings jump to $65,233 by year four suggests graduates are finding solid career traction, likely through the college's network and the liberal arts skillset that translates across industries. For context, this debt load is actually lower than both state and national medians for history programs.

The caveat matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in this data, these numbers could reflect a particularly successful cohort rather than consistent outcomes. That said, Providence College's 13% Pell Grant rate and 1342 average SAT suggest a well-resourced student body with built-in advantages. If your family fits that profile and values the liberal arts experience, the combination of reasonable debt and above-average outcomes makes this viable—just recognize you're betting on a smaller data set than ideal.