Agricultural Business and Management at Dordt University

Dordt's agricultural business program sits in an interesting middle ground: it beats the national median by about $900, but lags behind other Iowa schools by roughly $2,400. Among Iowa's six ag business programs, it ranks in the 40th percentile—meaning more than half of in-state alternatives produce better first-year outcomes. For families weighing in-state options, that gap matters, especially when Iowa State grads earn $4,700 more with similar debt loads.

The financial structure itself looks reasonable. At $19,000 in debt against nearly $50,000 in earnings, graduates face a manageable 0.39 debt-to-earnings ratio—they'd owe about 39% of their first year's salary. That's lower than the national median debt for this field, though the difference is modest. The real question is whether Dordt's faith-based environment and smaller scale justify accepting lower earnings than you'd see at larger Iowa programs.

One significant caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, which means a few outliers could skew the picture considerably. If you're seriously considering Dordt, ask for multi-year placement data to see if these earnings hold steady. For a family prioritizing ag connections and career placement in Iowa, programs like Iowa State offer measurably stronger financial outcomes right out of the gate.