Gerontology at University of Maryland Global Campus

At first glance, this program's numbers look impressive—95th percentile nationally for earnings in gerontology is nothing to sneeze at. But dig deeper and you'll find important caveats. With fewer than 30 graduates in the sample, these figures could swing dramatically with just a handful of different outcomes. The $43,840 starting salary beats the national median by about $6,200, which seems solid until you realize this is the only gerontology bachelor's program with reported data in Maryland, making the "60th percentile state ranking" essentially meaningless.

The debt picture is more encouraging. At $31,344, borrowers face a manageable 0.71 debt-to-earnings ratio—lower than many programs nationally—and the debt burden sits in the 25th percentile (meaning 75% of similar programs leave graduates with more debt). A typical graduate could potentially pay off their loans within reasonable timeframes if that first-year salary represents stable career trajectory.

The real question is whether this small sample reflects consistent outcomes or just happened to capture a particularly successful cohort. For families considering this program, the numbers suggest reasonable value, but the tiny dataset means you're essentially placing a bet on limited evidence. If your student is passionate about aging services and Maryland-based, this could work—just know you're making that decision with far less data than you'd have for most other programs.