History at University of San Francisco

The first-year earnings of $19,222 should be a major red flag, but the 158% jump to nearly $50,000 by year four tells a more complex story. Something unusual is happening with USF History graduates in that first year—perhaps extended job searches in San Francisco's expensive market, unpaid internships, or graduate school applications. By year four, earnings actually exceed California's median for history programs, though the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means this could easily swing either way for future cohorts.

The bigger concern is geography. Living in San Francisco on $19,000 is essentially impossible without family support, and even the year-four salary of $49,631 leaves graduates stretched thin in one of America's most expensive cities. The $21,250 debt load is manageable compared to the eventual earnings, but only if students can weather that brutal first year financially. Among California's 72 history programs, this one ranks in just the 10th percentile for earnings—trailing San Diego State by $11,000 and even middle-tier CSU campuses by significant margins.

If your child can rely on family support during that first year and plans to stay in the Bay Area anyway, the eventual earnings recovery makes this viable. But for students taking on housing debt or relying on immediate income, USF's History program presents real financial risk. The eventual salary doesn't overcome the front-loaded struggle of making San Francisco work on poverty-level wages.