Finance and Financial Management Services at Concordia University-Wisconsin

Concordia University-Wisconsin's finance program sits near the median among Wisconsin finance degrees, but the small graduating class size—fewer than 30 students—means these numbers could swing significantly year to year. At $51,235 in first-year earnings, graduates earn roughly $5,000 less than the typical Wisconsin finance grad and trail well behind the state's top programs like UW-Madison ($68,681) and Marquette ($67,888).

The positives here are clear: graduates carry just $27,000 in debt, which ranks in the 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of finance programs saddle students with more debt). That's a meaningful advantage. The 0.53 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe about half their first-year salary—manageable territory that should allow for comfortable repayment while building financial stability.

The small sample size is a real concern, though. With fewer than 30 data points, one or two outliers—a grad who took a gap year, or one who landed an unusually lucrative role—can skew the entire picture. For a finance program specifically, you'd want to see more graduates successfully launching careers before drawing firm conclusions. If your child is considering this program, dig deeper: ask about job placement rates, where recent grads actually work, and whether the alumni network delivers opportunities in Milwaukee's financial sector. The debt advantage is real, but make sure the career outcomes are consistent.