Business Administration, Management and Operations at Herzing University-Akron

Herzing University-Akron produces business graduates who earn substantially more than typical—$52,469 within a year of graduation, placing them in the 74th percentile nationally and 60th percentile among Ohio's 64 business programs. That's $7,000 above both the national and state medians, despite serving a predominantly Pell-grant population (78% of students). The catch is debt: at $46,792, graduates carry nearly double the typical business student's burden, putting this in the 5th percentile nationally for debt levels.

The math still works, though not as comfortably as some alternatives. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89, graduates should be able to manage their loans, and earnings do grow to $55,767 by year four. However, $46,792 in debt will mean significant monthly payments—likely around $500—which takes a bigger bite from these solid but not exceptional salaries than it would for graduates from Ohio's flagship programs earning $60,000-$68,000.

For families who can't access those more selective options, Herzing delivers above-average results for a widely-accessible program. But if your child has admission prospects at Miami, Ohio State, or Cincinnati—where earnings are $8,000-$15,000 higher—those programs would provide much more breathing room relative to similar debt loads.