International Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott

This program carries an estimated $25,000 in debt—higher than what comparable international business programs typically require in Arizona, where the median sits at $18,500. That extra $6,500 in borrowing matters when first-year earnings based on similar programs nationally hover around $49,890, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.50. While this ratio suggests the debt is manageable in absolute terms, you're paying a premium compared to the two Arizona State campuses, where international business graduates report identical $45,094 earnings with lower debt loads.

The challenge here is uncertainty. Embry-Riddle Prescott is known for its aviation and aerospace programs, not business—which raises questions about whether their international business degree connects to the same career networks and employer relationships that their flagship programs enjoy. The estimated earnings figure comes from a national pool of 103 programs, many at schools where business is a core strength. Whether Embry-Riddle's smaller, non-core business program delivers similar outcomes is genuinely unknown.

If your child is set on Embry-Riddle for specific reasons—campus culture, location, or combining business with aviation interests—the numbers don't rule it out. But if they're simply weighing international business programs in Arizona, ASU offers the same credential with reported outcomes and likely lower costs. The lack of actual graduate data here isn't a red flag about the school, but it does mean you're making this decision with less information than you'd have elsewhere.