Mathematics at Southern Arkansas University Main Campus

In Arkansas, math bachelor's degrees cluster tightly around $41,000 in first-year earnings, and Southern Arkansas University's program appears to follow that pattern. With estimated debt of $16,711—well below the national median of $21,500 for math programs—the 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests graduates could manage their loans on a starting salary, paying roughly 10% of gross income if using standard repayment terms.

The catch is that Arkansas math graduates earn about $8,000 less annually than the national median of $48,772. That gap compounds over time, potentially reaching $200,000 or more across a career. Whether that matters depends on your priorities: staying in Arkansas with manageable debt, or maximizing lifetime earnings elsewhere. The actual outcomes for SAU's specific cohorts aren't publicly available due to small sample sizes, so these estimates are drawn from just three comparable programs statewide—meaning individual experiences likely vary more than these averages suggest.

If your child plans to teach high school math or work locally, the combination of lower debt and regional earnings expectations makes sense. But if they're aiming for data science, actuarial work, or tech roles that typically pay $60,000+ nationally, they should build skills beyond the core curriculum—internships, programming, statistical modeling—to bridge that earnings gap regardless of where they study.