Economics at Wells College

In New York's economics landscape, Wells College occupies uncertain territory. Based on comparable bachelor's programs in the state, graduates typically earn around $50,000 in their first year—right at the state median but well behind top performers like Barnard ($85,860) or Cornell ($84,967). The estimated $25,000 in debt produces a manageable 0.50 ratio, suggesting students can expect to earn twice what they owe. That's a reasonable starting point, though hardly exceptional given that economics majors nationally often command stronger early salaries.

The challenge here is the visibility problem itself. Wells serves a significant population of Pell-eligible students (47%), yet the program generates too few graduates for the Department of Education to report actual outcomes. For a major as portable and marketable as economics, this raises questions about whether the program provides sufficient scale, resources, or recruiting pipelines to compete with New York's heavyweight institutions. The estimated figures suggest financial viability—you're not looking at crisis-level debt against earnings—but parents should investigate what differentiates a Wells economics degree in the job market when graduates from CUNY, SUNY, and private competitors are all competing for the same analyst and research positions. The debt load seems manageable; the real unknown is whether this smaller program delivers the same career access.