Business Administration, Management and Operations at Austin Peay State University

Austin Peay's business graduates earn about $15,000 less annually than peers at Tennessee's flagship university in Knoxville, landing in the bottom fifth nationally but near the middle of Tennessee programs. While $38,750 might sound reasonable for a first job, it's about $4,000 below what the typical Tennessee business graduate makes and $7,000 below the national figure. For a school with a 96% admission rate serving many first-generation students (nearly half receive Pell grants), these outcomes deserve scrutiny.

The debt picture offers some relief: at $22,605, graduates borrow roughly $3,000 less than state and national medians. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.58 means borrowers face payments that are manageable, though not comfortable given the lower starting salary. This isn't a debt crisis, but neither is it a bargain when you consider that graduates from Union University or Tennessee Wesleyan—schools with similar regional profiles—earn $20,000 more annually while carrying comparable debt loads.

For families considering Austin Peay primarily for affordability or location convenience in the Clarksville area, this program won't derail financial futures. But if your child can access Tennessee's stronger business programs through scholarships or in-state options, the earnings gap is too significant to ignore. The $20,000 annual difference compounds dramatically over a career.