Finance and Financial Management Services at Augustana College

Based on peer finance programs across Illinois, Augustana graduates likely earn around $54,000 in their first year—right at the state and national median for this degree. That's respectable for a liberal arts college, though it trails the state's top finance programs by $10,000-$20,000 annually. The estimated $25,500 in debt translates to a 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio, which suggests manageable loan payments of around $280 monthly on a standard repayment plan.

The challenge is that these figures come from comparable Illinois programs rather than Augustana's actual graduate outcomes, which the Department of Education suppresses due to small sample sizes. This means you're making decisions based on what similar schools produce, not what Augustana specifically delivers. The college's 68% admission rate and modest test scores suggest a different student profile than powerhouses like Illinois Wesleyan, which reports $62,600 for its finance graduates.

For a parent weighing this investment, the estimated debt burden appears reasonable if those median earnings hold true. Finance degrees generally offer solid employment prospects, and starting near $54,000 with under $26,000 in debt creates financial breathing room. However, you're betting on Augustana matching its peers' performance without the hard data to confirm it actually does. If Chicago's financial services market is the goal, consider whether programs with proven outcomes at DePaul or Loyola justify their potentially higher costs—or if Augustana's smaller environment offers advantages worth the uncertainty.