Business Administration, Management and Operations at Centura College-Virginia Beach

The immediate red flag here is that earnings drop 29% between years one and four—from $42,512 to just $30,033—suggesting graduates struggle to advance or may start in unstable positions. With a small sample size, this could reflect a few graduates' experiences rather than a predictable pattern, but it's concerning enough that you'd want to understand what's driving it before committing.

The debt picture compounds the problem. At $38,545, graduates carry roughly 48% more debt than typical Virginia business majors ($27,000 median) while earning 34% less four years out than the state median of $45,557. That's a troubling combination. While first-year earnings aren't dramatically below benchmarks, they can't overcome the elevated debt burden, especially as income appears to decline rather than grow. The program ranks in just the 40th percentile among Virginia business programs—below average in a state with strong options.

For a school serving predominantly lower-income students (71% receive Pell grants), these outcomes deserve serious scrutiny. The small sample means the data could shift with more graduates tracked, but right now, the numbers suggest graduates would likely fare better at one of Virginia's public universities, where debt loads run lower and earnings trajectories point upward. Before choosing Centura, you'd want clear explanations for both the declining earnings pattern and the above-average debt.