Human Services at University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online

With debt at $37,605 and first-year earnings around $36,630 based on national benchmarks for human services programs, this online bachelor's degree starts slightly underwater. That's a tighter margin than ideal, though the debt load sits below the national median for human services programs and falls in the 37th percentile—meaning most programs carry more debt.

The challenge here is uncertainty. Earnings data for this specific program are suppressed due to small graduate samples, so we're working from what similar bachelor's programs in human services produce nationally. Actual outcomes could run higher or lower. For context, Southern New Hampshire University's human services program—the only NH peer with reported data—shows first-year earnings of $38,461, suggesting this estimate might be conservative for the state market. Still, human services careers often require additional credentials for advancement, which could mean taking on more debt later while earnings remain modest early on.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.03 means graduates would need roughly a full year's salary to cover loans, assuming they work in the field. For a profession centered on helping others—often through nonprofit or government roles with limited starting salaries—families should factor in whether their student can manage payments on $36,000 to $38,000 annually. If the flexibility of online learning enables working while studying and minimizing borrowing, this becomes more viable. Otherwise, look hard at whether cheaper paths to this degree exist.