Physics at Stonehill College

A physics bachelor's degree from Stonehill would leave students with roughly $23,000 in debt—manageable by most standards and below the national average for STEM programs. Similar physics programs in Massachusetts produce first-year earnings around $49,000, which sits squarely at the state median and slightly above the national benchmark of $47,670. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.47 suggests graduates could reasonably manage their loan payments, though this estimate draws from just three comparable Massachusetts programs rather than Stonehill's own outcomes.

The challenge is that physics is a field where graduate school often determines earning potential, and undergraduate starting salaries don't tell the whole story. MIT physics grads earn modestly more ($54,773) despite the institution's prestige, which hints at the degree's role as a stepping stone rather than a terminal credential. For families paying Stonehill's private college price tag, the question becomes whether this investment makes sense compared to public alternatives like UMass-Lowell, where physics graduates start at $48,324 with likely lower debt loads.

If your child plans to pursue a PhD or enter fields like engineering or data science where physics provides strong fundamentals, the debt load won't be prohibitive. But if they're uncertain about their path beyond the bachelor's degree, starting at a less expensive institution while they clarify their goals might preserve more options down the road.