Cost, debt & salary

Is Walden University worth it? What it costs, and what graduates earn

You would borrow a median $20,834 — about $237 a month for ten years. Graduates earn a median $42,810 ten years after starting, so the debt clears in roughly 6.3 years of the salary premium.

F

Is it worth the money?

Think hard. On these numbers the salary premium struggles to clear what students borrow.

You borrow $20,834 median federal debt at graduation
You repay $237/mo standard 10-year federal plan
You earn $42,810 median, 10 years after entry · beats 11%
Debt clears in 6.3 yrs ranked 787 of 810

What that feels like each month Repayment against the salary that has to cover it.

Gross monthly pay
$3,568
Loan repayment
$237
Share of your pay
6.6%
0%15% — the comfort line25%

Under roughly 15% of gross pay, repayment is generally considered manageable alongside rent and living costs.

Cut the debt before you borrow it

Every dollar you win is a dollar you never repay — and it moves the 6.3-year payback above. We list 1 scholarship tied to Walden University.

Master’s Degree Scholarships at Walden University in USA, 2018
See all 1 Walden University scholarships →

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How Walden University compares Against the 810 US universities we grade on payback.

The typical graded university clears its debt in 1.3 years on median earnings of $57,146 against $22,500 of debt. Walden University takes longer than that, and its graduates earn $3,290 a year more than a US worker with only a high-school diploma.

Nearby universityGradeDebtEarningsPayback
Capella University Minnesota F $14,968 $42,189 5.6 yrs
Lake Superior College Minnesota D $12,775 $46,449 1.8 yrs
Minnesota State University Moorhead Minnesota D $20,000 $50,527 1.8 yrs
Southwest Minnesota State University Minnesota D $20,500 $51,342 1.7 yrs
University of Minnesota - Morris Minnesota C $18,995 $50,919 1.7 yrs

Walden University — the money questions

How much do graduates of Walden University earn?
Median earnings are $42,810 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled — from tax records, not a survey. That is higher than 11% of the US universities we hold figures for.
How much debt will I have at Walden University?
The median graduate leaves with $20,834 of federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $237 a month — roughly 6.6% of the median graduate's monthly pay before tax.
How long does a degree from Walden University take to pay for itself?
About 6.3 years of the salary premium — the amount graduates earn above the $39,520 a US worker with only a high-school diploma makes. That ranks it 787 of 810 US universities we grade on payback.
Can scholarships reduce this debt?
Yes — we list 1 scholarship tied to Walden University. Each award you win comes straight off the borrowing above, and the payback figure falls with it.
Do these numbers apply to my subject?
No. The Department of Education publishes one figure per institution, so nursing, engineering and fine art students at Walden University all sit inside the same median. Treat it as the size of the financial risk, not a salary forecast for your course.
Walden University profile Programmes at Walden University Walden University scholarships Walden University review & grade Compare with Capella University Payback across Minnesota What Walden University costs Student loan record SAT scores & admission Fastest-paying US degrees Lowest student debt How we calculate this

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard — earnings and debt cover students who received federal financial aid and blend every subject taught at the institution. Figures imported 28 Aug 2026. This page is information, not financial advice.