Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Ivy Tech Community College

Ivy Tech's Business Operations program delivers a rare advantage: significantly lower debt than almost anywhere else in the country. At under $12,000, graduates carry less than half the typical debt load for this degree, placing this program in the 95th percentile nationally for affordability. For Indiana families, this matters enormously—while earnings match the state median at just under $28,000, the manageable debt creates breathing room that most programs don't offer.

The tradeoff is straightforward. Starting earnings fall below the national median by about $700, ranking in the 35th percentile nationally, though they're exactly at Indiana's median. Growth over four years is modest at 4%, reaching $29,059—not a dramatic climb, but steady. What's notable is the contrast: while this program sits in the 60th percentile for earnings among Indiana's few offerings, it dramatically outperforms the national field on debt burden.

For a family weighing community college options, the math here is simple. A graduate earning $28,000 with $12,000 in debt faces fundamentally different financial pressures than one earning $28,691 with $20,000 in debt. This program won't launch a high-earning career, but it provides affordable entry into office administration work without the crushing debt that makes similar programs elsewhere genuinely risky. If your child needs a practical credential and job stability matters more than high earnings potential, Ivy Tech's low-debt approach makes this a defensible choice.