Mathematics at Texas A & M International University

Texas A&M International's math program graduates leave with remarkably little debt—just $8,000, which puts them in the 95th percentile nationally for low borrowing. That's a third of what the typical Texas math major owes and less than a fifth of the national median. With first-year earnings of $46,055, these graduates face virtually no financial burden from their education, freeing up income that peers at other schools will spend on loan payments for years.

The earnings tell a more nuanced story. Starting salaries land slightly below the Texas median ($49,708), placing this program around the 40th percentile statewide—below powerhouses like UT Austin ($60,011) but showing solid 17% growth to $53,868 by year four. For a selective-admit university serving a predominantly Pell-eligible student body in Laredo, these outcomes reflect the school's mission of providing affordable access rather than competing with flagship research universities.

The minimal debt fundamentally changes the value equation here. A graduate earning $46,000 with $8,000 in loans faces monthly payments around $80—easily manageable compared to the $250+ that peers with typical debt loads must budget. For families prioritizing affordability and reasonable employment prospects over maximum earning potential, this combination delivers genuine value, though the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means individual experiences may vary more than these medians suggest.