Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at George Washington University

First-year earnings of $52,893 place this program well above the national norm—entrepreneurship bachelor's degrees typically produce median earnings around $45,000, making GW's outcomes 17% higher. The program ranks in the 79th percentile nationally, suggesting graduates are finding solid early opportunities, whether launching ventures or working in startup ecosystems where DC has considerable activity in policy, social enterprise, and tech.

The estimated $25,400 in debt, derived from comparable programs at similar private institutions, produces a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48. That means graduates would need less than half their first-year income to cover their student loans—a reasonable burden for a degree from a selective university. For context, the national median debt for entrepreneurship programs is $24,125, so the estimate here aligns closely with typical borrowing patterns.

The caveat: because GW's actual graduate cohort was too small to report, we're relying on peer-program patterns rather than this school's specific track record. What we can say is that entrepreneurship degrees at selective private universities tend to produce outcomes in this range, and GW's location and resources should support those results. If your child is genuinely interested in building or working with startups—and comfortable with the inherent uncertainty of a field where success varies enormously by individual execution—the financial framework here looks workable.