Old Dominion University

Chart (D) | How much debt do students take on relative to their future earnings?



Debt to wage ratio (median debt at grad./median. wage 3-yr post-grad)


Median Debt at Graduation
Award2016 (2019)2017 (2020)2018 (2021)2019 (2022)2020 (2023)
Master's$26,387$26,565$26,229$25,807$25,874
Bachelor's$25,735$25,172$24,303$23,726$23,503

Higher ratio = higher debt relative to wages
Lower ratio = lower debt relative to wages



Note: Years represent median wage 3 years post grad in VA of students who graduated in the year combined and students who graduated in the 4 previous years with wages adjusted for inflation to the most recent year of wages, in order to allow for reporting at the program-level; only includes wage data from VA from employers covered under state unemployment insurance; Debt represents median cumulative debt at graduation​.
Source: SCHEV data extraction, April 2023.