Economics at Rhodes College

Rhodes College's economics program posts solid national numbers—$57,814 in first-year earnings places graduates above 71% of similar programs nationwide—but barely cracks the Tennessee median. That's the key tension here: your child will likely outperform most economics graduates nationally while still earning less than the typical Tennessee economics grad. Among the state's 16 programs, Rhodes sits squarely in the middle, trailing both elite Vanderbilt ($84,311) and regional competitor University of the South ($58,532) but beating UT-Knoxville by a meaningful margin.

The debt picture is reasonable but not exceptional. At $19,500, graduates carry slightly less than both state and national medians, yielding a manageable 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio—meaning the typical graduate's debt equals about four months of first-year salary. For a selective liberal arts college, this represents a controlled financial risk.

The real caveat is sample size: fewer than 30 economics graduates means these numbers could shift considerably year to year. Given Rhodes' 50% admission rate and strong SAT scores, this appears to be a capable student body heading toward respectable but not exceptional outcomes. If your child is choosing between Rhodes and a state flagship, the earnings data suggests this private school premium isn't translating to higher initial salaries within Tennessee's job market. The program works for students committed to Rhodes' liberal arts environment, but don't expect the economics degree alone to deliver outsized financial returns.