Business/Commerce at DeVry University-Florida

DeVry University-Florida's business program delivers first-year earnings of $57,020—impressive on the surface, outpacing the national median by $9,500 and landing in the 94th percentile nationally. But here's the tension: you're paying premium debt ($47,236, nearly double the national average) for what turns out to be middle-of-the-pack performance within Florida itself. At the 60th percentile among Florida business programs, your child is essentially paying twice the typical debt load for outcomes that merely match competitors like Strayer while falling short of public options like FSU or UCF that come with substantially less debt.

The earnings trajectory adds another wrinkle—graduates see essentially flat income between year one and year four, suggesting limited career progression in those early years. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.83, graduates face manageable but meaningful loan payments that will claim a noticeable chunk of that $57,000 salary. For a for-profit institution serving primarily Pell Grant recipients (53%), this debt burden deserves serious consideration.

If your child has Florida residency, run the numbers carefully against state schools where they'd likely borrow half as much. The first-year salary advantage DeVry provides won't offset doubling your debt load, especially when earnings stay flat. This works financially only if your child lacks access to more affordable Florida options or if specific career services justify the premium—and you should verify those claims directly with current students and recent alumni.