Business/Commerce at Dordt University

A $27,000 debt load against first-year earnings around $52,000 creates a workable financial foundation for Dordt's business graduates—if the estimates hold true. Since the Department of Education suppresses outcome data when graduate samples are too small, these figures come from the median of similar Iowa business programs rather than Dordt's actual graduates. That puts this program squarely in the middle of Iowa's business school landscape, where reported outcomes range from around $49,000 to nearly $58,000.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.52 falls comfortably below the conventional 1.0 threshold, meaning borrowers would owe roughly half their expected first-year salary. Compared to the national median debt of $26,000 for business degrees, Dordt's estimated borrowing is marginally higher but still reasonable. What's harder to gauge is whether this particular program delivers outcomes closer to the top performers in Iowa or settles near the bottom—a spread of nearly $9,000 that meaningfully affects loan repayment timelines.

For parents weighing this investment, the key uncertainty is whether Dordt's graduates match the state median or diverge from it. The school's 71% admission rate and modest Pell enrollment (18%) suggest a traditional private college experience, but without actual earnings data, you're banking on peer program performance rather than verified outcomes. If affordability matters most, request the school's own graduate employment statistics before committing.