2027 Best Majors for Low Student Debt
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A major can lead to very different borrowing outcomes depending on where and how you study. The College Board reported average published tuition and fees of $11,610 for in-state students at public four-year colleges in 2024-25 - before housing, books, or aid. That makes program price as important to the debt decision as the field itself. This guide compares career-oriented majors and related master's options, then shows prospective students how to weigh total cost, earnings potential, job requirements, and lower-cost pathways before enrolling.
Key Things You Should Know
- Computer science can lead toward software development, an occupation with a $133,080 median annual wage in May 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That is an occupational median, not a starting salary or a guaranteed outcome for graduates.
- The College Board reported average 2024-25 published tuition and fees of $4,050 at public two-year colleges versus $11,610 for in-state students at public four-year colleges. Transfer only saves money when the credits apply to the intended degree.
- Nursing, teaching, clinical social work, and some counseling careers have licensing requirements; an inexpensive program that does not support the required pathway can be a costly mistake.
Top 10 Best Majors for Low Student Debt
Business Programs
An MBA, master's in accounting, or specialized finance degree may suit someone seeking advancement, but the credential alone does not secure a management job. Compare required credits, employer tuition assistance, and whether your target role actually values graduate study.
An affordable undergraduate accounting or business program followed by work experience may involve less borrowing than enrolling in a master's immediately. Accounting applicants should also check their state's CPA education rules: earning a master's does not, by itself, confer certification.
Healthcare Programs
Master's programs in public health and healthcare administration prepare students for population-health or organizational work, not clinical licensure. They can make financial sense when an employer contributes to tuition or a specific job calls for the credential.
Compare total program charges with likely responsibilities, not healthcare salaries in general. Applicants seeking direct patient care should identify the particular licensed profession first; a general healthcare master's is not a substitute for its required clinical education.
Information Technology Programs
A master's in information technology may cover systems, cloud infrastructure, or cybersecurity. It is most compelling when a desired specialist or leadership role requires skills beyond your current experience.
Entry-level IT work may be accessible through a bachelor's degree, an associate degree, or relevant training and experience, making a self-funded master's unnecessary for some students. Before borrowing, compare technical coursework, hands-on projects, employer support, and the experience employers request for your intended role.
Computer Science Programs
A computer science master's can support specialization in areas such as artificial intelligence or advanced software systems. It is not normally required for software developer jobs. Applicants without a computing background should check for foundation courses, which can add time and cost.
A lower-debt route may be to finish an affordable bachelor's degree, build a portfolio, and pursue graduate study only if a particular career goal calls for it. Compare required projects or research with the work you hope to do.
Nursing Programs
A master of science in nursing can prepare licensed nurses for advanced practice, education, or leadership, depending on the track. Admission commonly requires nursing preparation, and advanced-practice tracks include clinical requirements; an MSN alone does not grant a professional license.
Compare employer assistance, clinical placement arrangements, and state eligibility before committing. Someone seeking initial registered nurse licensure should instead compare approved entry-level nursing pathways, including associate and bachelor's programs, and their local hiring implications.
Psychology Programs
A psychology master's may focus on research, applied work, or counseling preparation; these are not interchangeable paths. Psychology bachelor's graduates can often enter roles outside licensed practice without graduate debt.
For a counseling career, check the exact degree, supervised-practice requirements, applicable program accreditation, and state licensing rules. Psychologist licensure generally requires doctoral-level preparation, so a low-priced general psychology master's should not be mistaken for a direct route to that occupation.
Education Programs
A master of education can support teaching specialization or school leadership, but salary benefits and eligibility for new roles vary by district and state. A graduate degree does not automatically provide initial teacher licensure or principal certification.
Employed educators should compare district tuition assistance and pay schedules with total program cost. First-time teachers may find a state-approved undergraduate or alternative certification pathway more appropriate than an unrelated master's program.
Criminal Justice Programs
A criminal justice master's may be relevant to research, policy, or certain advancement goals. Many entry-level law enforcement and related positions do not require one, and hiring standards vary by agency.
Before taking on graduate debt, review actual job postings, required training, and whether your employer offers tuition assistance. Experience, an academy, or a more targeted field of study may fit the desired role better than a general graduate degree.
Engineering Programs
An engineering master's can deepen a technical specialty, but a bachelor's in an appropriate engineering field is the usual starting point for many engineering occupations. Students considering professional engineer licensure should check their state board's education and experience rules and whether an undergraduate program meets relevant accreditation expectations.
A funded research master's or employer-supported professional degree may limit borrowing; an expensive unfunded program deserves closer scrutiny if the target job does not require it.
Social Work Programs
A master of social work can open pathways to clinical social work, but independent clinical practice also requires state-specified supervised experience and licensure. Graduates of eligible bachelor of social work programs may qualify for advanced-standing MSW admission, reducing remaining coursework; eligibility and length vary by school.
Compare Council on Social Work Education accreditation, field-placement requirements, aid, and the specific license you want. Borrowing for a general graduate program that lacks the needed pathway can defeat a low-debt goal.
What Are the Best Majors for Low Student Debt and High Earnings?
The strongest low-debt, high-earnings candidates are computer science, some engineering fields, and nursing when a student can enter through a reasonably priced program. Information technology and accounting can also be good fits.
"Best" here means a credible route to relevant work at a manageable net total cost - not a claim that graduates of one major earn the wage of an entire occupation. Readers focused chiefly on pay can compare these choices with other most lucrative majors, then check what each career actually requires.
This comparison identifies each field's potential lower-debt route and its main limitation. It is not a ranking of graduate earnings or a promise that every school offers the same pathway.
| Field | Potential lower-debt route | Key decision |
| Computer science | Affordable bachelor's program with substantial project work | Check graduate outcomes and internship access, not just the degree title. |
| Engineering | In-state bachelor's program with a clear engineering curriculum | Verify the accreditation relevant to the intended discipline and license. |
| Nursing | Approved associate or bachelor's pathway | Compare licensure eligibility, clinical capacity, and local employers' preferences. |
| Information technology | Transferable associate coursework followed by a bachelor's, if needed | Look for practical experience aligned with the intended role. |
| Accounting | In-state bachelor's program | Check whether a CPA goal requires additional qualifying education. |
Business, education, social work, psychology, healthcare, and criminal justice can also be worthwhile majors. Their financial case depends more heavily on the exact occupation, licensing pathway, employer support, and borrowing required.
Information technology, nursing, and computer science combine identifiable career paths with options to control borrowing, but job growth does not make any particular program low-cost. BLS projects employment of information security analysts to grow 29% from 2024 to 2034.
That signals demand for the occupation, not automatic access to it: relevant technical experience is commonly important, and an entry-level graduate may need to start in another IT role.
Nursing offers a more direct credential-to-occupation pathway if the program qualifies graduates for the applicable licensure process.
Software-related jobs provide another reason to consider computer science, although hiring can be competitive and demonstrated skills matter. Choose among these fields by testing both sides of the equation: realistic access to the work and the amount you would have to borrow to prepare for it.
There is no reliable national price for completing any one of these majors. Schools charge different tuition and fees, students bring different transfer credits, and clinical or laboratory requirements change expenses.
As a starting benchmark, the College Board's 2024-25 averages for published tuition and fees were as follows; neither figure represents a complete credential or a student's price after aid.
- Public two-year college: $4,050 for an academic year.
- Public four-year college, in-state: $11,610 for an academic year.
Beyond those shared tuition benchmarks, the table shows expenses to check for each field. It deliberately avoids assigning a made-up program price to a major.
| Major or program family | Costs to check beyond standard tuition |
| Business | Program fees, materials, and any required internship travel |
| Healthcare | Program fees and practicum or placement expenses |
| Information technology | Technology fees, required software, and equipment |
| Computer science | Technology fees and required computing equipment |
| Nursing | Clinical fees, supplies, transportation, and licensing-exam expenses |
| Psychology | Research or practicum expenses, depending on the program |
| Education | Student-teaching transportation, testing, and certification expenses |
| Criminal justice | Internship travel and any agency-specific requirements |
| Engineering | Laboratory or differential fees, equipment, and materials |
| Social work | Field-placement transportation and licensing-related expenses |
For a meaningful comparison, request the school's estimated total cost to completion: remaining tuition and mandatory fees, books and equipment, living expenses, and required travel, minus grants and scholarships. A low per-credit price can still produce substantial debt when prerequisites, extra credits, or unpaid placements extend enrollment.
The pathway requiring the least student debt is the least expensive eligible route to the actual job - not necessarily the shortest credential. A certificate or apprenticeship may avoid borrowing for some technical careers.
For degree-required roles, a public two-year college followed by an in-state transfer program can reduce tuition, provided the receiving school confirms that credits satisfy major requirements. Nursing applicants should compare approved associate and bachelor's routes against local hiring expectations.
Graduate study changes the calculation. Many careers discussed here do not require a master's for entry, while clinical social work and certain advanced nursing roles do require specific graduate preparation. Before comparing masters degrees, confirm that the proposed credential serves the intended job; ease of completion is not evidence of low total debt or licensing eligibility.
A practical sequence is to choose a target occupation, establish its minimum valid credential, obtain a written transfer-credit evaluation if applicable, and compare aid-based completion costs for each viable route. Credits accepted only as electives may do little to shorten or cheapen a major.
Online study can reduce commuting or relocation costs, but it does not automatically lower tuition or debt. Compare the same credential at online and campus programs using total charges after aid, required equipment, and the number of credits you must still complete.
Accredited non profit online universities may be worth considering alongside public campus options, but nonprofit status alone does not establish a lower price.
Delivery also affects feasibility. An online course may have live meetings and fixed deadlines; nursing clinicals, social work fieldwork, teaching placements, or engineering labs may require in-person participation.
Ask where these take place, who arranges them, and whether travel or lost work hours would offset any savings. The better low-debt format is the one you can complete without paying for avoidable extra terms.
Start by confirming that the college holds recognized institutional accreditation; it matters for federal aid eligibility and can affect transfer and employer acceptance. Then check program-level requirements tied to your goal.
For example, prospective social workers should verify Council on Social Work Education accreditation for an MSW, engineering students should check the applicable ABET status where relevant, and nursing applicants should confirm state board approval and any accreditation required for their next step.
Do not treat a school's general accreditation as proof that a particular program qualifies you for a license. Check the program's current status directly with the accreditor or state board, confirm that it covers your intended campus or delivery option, and ask the school to explain eligibility in the state where you plan to work.
The distinction between a degree and permission to practice matters most in regulated fields. The following comparison identifies common next requirements; exact rules depend on the state, occupation, and program.
| Intended role | Requirement to investigate beyond the major |
| Registered nurse | Graduation from an approved nursing pathway, the applicable licensing examination, and state licensure |
| Teacher | State-approved preparation, any required student teaching and examinations, and certification |
| Clinical social worker | Qualifying MSW education, supervised experience, examination, and state licensure |
| Professional engineer | State-specific education, examination, and experience requirements |
| Certified public accountant | State board education, examination, and experience requirements |
| Licensed counselor | Qualifying graduate education, supervised practice, examination, and state licensure |
Before enrolling, compare the program's published licensure disclosures with the rules of the state where you expect to work. A low tuition quote is not a saving if you must later repeat coursework to become eligible.
Career fit is essential to a low-debt decision: the same major can lead to several jobs, and some jobs accept several majors. These BLS May 2024 median annual wages describe people employed in the occupations, across experience levels. They are not typical first-job pay, program graduate earnings, or proof that a degree causes a particular salary.
| Occupation | Related educational direction | Median annual wage |
| Software developer | Computer science or related preparation | $133,080 |
| Registered nurse | Approved nursing education and licensure | $93,600 |
| Accountant or auditor | Often accounting or a related bachelor's degree | $81,680 |
A computer science or business major does not automatically qualify someone for every related job, and nursing licensure is separate from graduation. For education, social work, psychology, and healthcare, define the specific role before using any occupational wage to justify borrowing; entry and advanced roles can have markedly different requirements.
How Can You Compare Programs by Debt, Aid, and Return on Investment?
Compare programs using expected borrowing to completion, not sticker tuition or an occupational wage alone. Start with the school's financial aid offer and cost-of-attendance estimate, then request a degree audit showing how your existing credits would apply.
This is especially important for transfer students: accepted credits may fill electives while leaving costly major prerequisites untouched. The following checks turn a broad major comparison into a decision you can act on:
- Identify the occupation and verify its minimum education, accreditation, and licensing requirements.
- Request an itemized estimate for all remaining terms, including mandatory fees, prerequisites, equipment, and required placements.
- Subtract grants, scholarships, and confirmed employer assistance; distinguish the remaining cost from the amount you would actually finance with loans.
- Ask each school for a written evaluation of transfer credits and the courses and residency credits you would still need.
- Compare completion and employment information for the specific program when available, noting whether it covers graduates like you and whether it reports debt.
For working adults, a competency based masters option may merit comparison if the school publishes how progress, tuition, and assessment work.
Do not assume prior experience automatically awards credit or that faster progress is guaranteed. A red flag in any format is an attractive per-term price without a credible plan for how many terms - and how much borrowing - completion will require.
Other Things You Should Know About
No major consistently does. Debt depends on the school's net price, aid, credits required, living costs, and time to completion. Compare specific offers for programs that meet your career goal.
Sometimes, but an occupational median is not a graduate's expected starting salary. Weigh the additional debt against the role's entry requirements, your likely access to internships or clinical training, and lower-cost programs.
Often, if the intended four-year program accepts the courses toward its major. Obtain a course-by-course transfer plan before enrolling, particularly for sequenced engineering, computer science, and nursing requirements.
Majors in nursing, education, computer science, and some STEM fields often qualify for department scholarships, state grants, and employer-sponsored aid. Federal Pell Grants, state need-based grants, and institutional awards can reduce borrowing, but students must meet FAFSA deadlines and maintain satisfactory academic progress.
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