-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at Athens State University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (1.9% → 0.0%).
Alabama · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Athens State University
Athens, Alabama. 2,407 undergraduate students. 42 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at Athens State University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. Alabama
Each tile compares this institution to the Alabama median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$50,273+9% · 6→10y
Alabama median $39,017$46,266
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry—
Alabama median 43.4%$14,861+196% · '97→'20
At program completion2,407-9% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS—
first-time, full-time—
latest cohort—
annualSECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
3.9%Median federal debt $14,861 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $50,273 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+196%
Athens State University · median debt rose
$6,100 → $18,051
-100%
Athens State University · cohort default rate fell
6.4% → 0.0%
+42%
Athens State University · pell share rose
29.9% → 42.5%
+21%
Athens State University · earnings_median_10yr rose
$41,700 → $50,273
+26%
Athens State University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$38,000 → $48,014
+28%
Athens State University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$36,100 → $46,266
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Computer and Information Sciences, General.$90,135Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other.$70,242Accounting and Related Services.$61,742Business Administration, Management and Operations.$61,403Biology, General.$58,894Mathematics.$53,236Human Resources Management and Services.$51,133Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.$51,026Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.$45,657English Language and Literature, General.$43,504Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.$40,930Psychology, General.$39,803Fine and Studio Arts.$29,822
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
13 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in Alabama
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Athens State University graduates earn $X” — not “Athens State University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Athens State University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.