History at Villanova University

The small sample size here demands caution, but these numbers raise questions about Villanova's history program that prospective families should investigate further. Despite the university's highly selective admissions and strong academic reputation (1466 average SAT), history graduates start at $27,882—below both the national and Pennsylvania medians for the degree. Within Pennsylvania, they're earning substantially less than peers at schools like Lycoming, Slippery Rock, and Shippensburg, institutions with far less competitive admissions profiles.

The bright spot is manageable debt at $27,000, which keeps the debt-to-earnings ratio near parity at 0.97. This is actually among the lowest debt loads nationally for history programs. However, that reasonable borrowing can't fully offset the earnings gap. The typical Villanova history graduate earns about $6,000 less annually than their counterparts at Temple or Penn—a meaningful difference when you're starting in the high $20,000s range.

Given the likely premium price tag at a private university like Villanova, families should dig deeper before committing. Request data on a larger cohort of graduates and ask about career placement support specifically for humanities majors. If your child is set on history at a selective school, understanding why these earnings trail peer institutions matters enormously when calculating return on investment.