Business Administration, Management and Operations at Concordia University-Chicago

Concordia University-Chicago's business program lands squarely in the middle of the pack—graduating with $24,000 in debt to earn $44,581 initially puts you slightly below both Illinois and national medians for business degrees. Among the 52 Illinois schools offering this program, it ranks in just the 40th percentile, meaning six out of ten comparable programs produce higher earnings.

The 19% earnings growth to $53,028 by year four is solid but doesn't change the fundamental picture: graduates here earn roughly $11,000-15,000 less than peers at Loyola or UIC, and even trail less selective options like Southern Illinois by several thousand dollars. The debt load is manageable—about $2,000 below state and national averages—but the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54 means you're still borrowing more than half a year's starting salary.

One critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes could vary significantly from these figures. For a family focused strictly on return on investment, the numbers suggest looking at other Illinois business programs with stronger earning trajectories. But if Concordia's smaller classes and Lutheran identity matter to your student, the financial outcome isn't disastrous—just unremarkable.