Religious Education at Benedictine College

Benedictine College's Religious Education program earns graduates $35,133 in their first year—slightly above the national median for this field and landing at the 75th percentile nationally. However, the debt picture is less encouraging: graduates carry $24,625 in loans, placing them in the 76th percentile for debt burden (meaning only 24% of comparable programs nationwide saddle students with more debt). The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.70 means new graduates owe roughly eight months of their first-year salary, which is manageable but not trivial for a service-oriented profession.

The bigger caveat here is sample size—with fewer than 30 graduates in the data, these numbers could shift significantly year to year. This also happens to be the only Religious Education program measured in Kansas, so the state percentile rankings simply mirror the program's own numbers rather than showing competitive positioning. For parents evaluating this degree, the practical question is whether their child is genuinely called to religious education work, where earnings typically plateau in the mid-$30s range regardless of institution. The debt load here won't derail a graduate's finances, but it won't leave much breathing room on a religion teacher's or youth minister's salary either.

If your student is certain about this career path and values Benedictine's faith-centered environment, the numbers work—barely. If there's any uncertainty about the vocation, a less expensive route to testing that calling makes more financial sense.