Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) at Husson University

A bachelor's in legal studies with debt outpacing first-year earnings by a significant margin demands a hard look at the return on investment. Peer programs nationally suggest graduates earn around $39,000 in their first year, while this program carries an estimated $27,000 in debt—a 0.69 ratio that means nearly nine months of gross income just to break even. That's manageable if earnings climb steadily, but legal studies degrees without a law school trajectory often lead to paralegal or compliance roles where salary growth can be incremental rather than dramatic.

The challenge here is twofold: you're paying for a credential that comparable programs produce at slightly lower debt levels nationally (the median is around $25,750), and Maine offers no other similar programs to benchmark against, leaving you without local alternatives to pressure-test value. Husson's 86% admission rate and modest test scores suggest this isn't a highly selective environment where institutional reputation alone opens doors. For students certain they want legal support roles and committed to staying in Maine's smaller job market, the debt load is within reason. But if your child is exploring options or might pivot toward law school later, consider that this debt adds to what will be substantial future borrowing—and that many paralegal positions require only an associate degree or certificate at far lower cost.