Finance and Financial Management Services at Kansas State University

Kansas State's finance program delivers solid, if unspectacular, returns that edge above both state and national benchmarks. First-year graduates earn $54,509—ranking in the 60th percentile among Kansas finance programs—while carrying $24,990 in debt. That debt load sits comfortably below the national median, giving graduates a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.46. By year four, earnings climb to $63,146, a 16% increase that suggests steady career progression in the field.

The program's greatest strength is its combination of reasonable debt with above-average Kansas outcomes. While graduates don't command the premiums seen at Benedictine ($58,821) or KU ($57,884), they're earning more than peers at Wichita State or Washburn—often with less debt burden. The 79% admission rate makes this accessible to a broad range of students, and with over 100 graduates in the dataset, these numbers represent consistent outcomes rather than statistical noise.

For Kansas families, this represents a low-risk path into finance careers. You're not paying for prestige or taking on crushing debt, but you're getting earnings that exceed most in-state alternatives. The trajectory is predictable: start around $55,000, reach the low-to-mid $60,000s within a few years, and carry debt you can reasonably manage on that income.