STARTING SALARIES

How much you should borrow depends partly on what you can expect to earn after graduation. This chart gives some representative starting salaries for various professions. Use this information as a guide to help you calculate how much you feel comfortable borrowing.

Occupation Avg starting salary Year Accounting1 $47,421 2007 Advertising1 $31,930 2007 Aerospace Engineering1 $52,131 2007 Agricultural Sciences1 $35,333 2007 Animal Sciences1 $36,649 2007 Biological Science1 $36,962 2007 Chemical Engineering1 $56,549 2007 Chemistry1 $43,465 2002 Civil Engineering1 $47,750 2007 Computer Engineering1 $55,946 2007 Computer Programming1 $45,525 2006 Construction Science1 $46,506 2007 Economics1 $53,449 2007 Electrical Engineering1 $54,915 2007 Finance1 $47,877 2007 Geology1 $40,430 2007 Human Resources1 $42,192 2007 Lawyer (All graduates - 6 months after graduating)2 $67,500 2005 Lawyer (Private practice - 6 months after graduating)2 $110,000 2005 Marketing1 $41,285 2007 Mechanical Engineering1 $54,695 2007 Meteorologist3 $27,955 2005 Plant Sciences1 $31,800 2007 Teacher4 $31,753 2004-2005 school year Veterinarian (Private Practice)5 $54,000 2006 Notes: 1 National Association of Colleges and Employers survey 2 National Association of Law Placement 3 Federal government 4 American Federation of Teachers 5 American Veterinary Medical Association