Business/Commerce at Huntingdon College

Huntingdon College's business program shows a puzzling pattern: graduates earn just $32,446 in their first year—barely above minimum wage for full-time work—but see dramatic improvement to $63,213 by year four. That 95% jump is remarkable, but the question is whether parents should bank on it. With only 30 graduates in this dataset, these numbers could reflect a few outliers rather than a reliable trend. What we know for certain is less encouraging: first-year earnings rank in the bottom 5% nationally and trail every other business program in Alabama by at least $12,000.

The $27,000 debt load seems reasonable at first glance, but paired with that initial $32,446 salary, it creates immediate financial stress. Even if earnings do eventually double, graduates face lean years right after college when student loan payments begin. Compare this to University of South Alabama, where business graduates start at $50,515—a $18,000 advantage that compounds over time.

Given the tiny sample size and weak initial outcomes, this program carries significant risk. Parents should demand more transparency from Huntingdon about where these graduates actually work in year one versus year four, and whether that earnings jump reflects career progression or simply graduates leaving the local market. Without clearer evidence of consistent outcomes, treating this as a $27,000 gamble seems more accurate than viewing it as a sound investment.