Business Administration, Management and Operations at Elon University

Elon's business program carries an estimated $27,000 in debt—right at the state median—but the earnings picture based on comparable North Carolina programs suggests something's off for a school with Elon's selectivity profile. At roughly $43,000 first-year, these figures put the program squarely in the middle of the pack statewide, trailing not just UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State but also smaller competitors like Queens and Meredith by $5,000-$11,000. For a private university where only 9% of students receive Pell grants and the average SAT hits 1,222, you'd expect outcomes closer to the top quartile, not the median.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62 isn't alarming on its face—similar business programs across North Carolina typically produce manageable debt loads relative to starting salaries. But context matters: families paying private tuition at Elon are likely accumulating significantly more total educational debt than these estimates capture, since this figure only reflects federal loans for this specific credential. When peer programs at public universities or less selective private schools deliver comparable outcomes with lower sticker prices, the value calculation gets complicated.

The challenge here is that without actual reported data from Elon's own graduates, you're making a significant financial commitment based on what similar programs typically produce statewide. If Elon's business graduates actually perform like those at Queens or Meredith, the investment makes more sense. If they track closer to this median estimate, families should press the school for placement specifics and job outcomes before committing to private-school pricing.