Business Administration, Management and Operations at Chadron State College

Chadron State graduates with this business degree enter the workforce earning about $4,000 less than their peers at other Nebraska schools—landing in the 40th percentile statewide. While that puts them roughly $7,000 behind graduates from Bellevue or Doane, they're also carrying $1,000 less debt than the state median. The 0.57 debt-to-earnings ratio is reasonable, meaning a graduate earning $43,000 owes roughly half that amount—manageable but not exceptional.

The trajectory shows solid 17% earnings growth over four years, reaching just over $50,000, which suggests graduates find their footing in the job market. However, even by year four they're still earning less than first-year graduates from Nebraska's top business programs. For a student committed to staying in the Chadron area or prioritizing lower debt, this makes sense. For those with access to programs in Omaha or Lincoln, the $7,000+ annual earnings difference compounds significantly over a career.

The value calculation here is straightforward: you're getting Nebraska's lower-cost business education option, but you're also getting its lower-earning outcomes. If the alternative is attending a pricier private school while taking on substantially more debt, Chadron's offer holds up. If your student can access University of Nebraska campuses at similar cost, those programs deliver meaningfully better returns.