Business Administration, Management and Operations at Laurus College

The numbers here tell a troubling story: graduates earn $24,790 in their first year while carrying nearly $35,000 in debt—a ratio of 1.40 that makes monthly loan payments difficult on a sub-$25,000 salary. This puts Laurus College in the bottom quartile both nationally (11th percentile) and within California (25th percentile), where even the state median of $29,222 is underwhelming. More concerning, the debt load is among the highest 5% nationally for associate's programs in business, while peer California community colleges typically leave students with around $8,000 in debt. Schools like Mendocino College and San Bernardino Valley College produce business grads earning $44,000-49,000—nearly double what Laurus achieves.

The 15% earnings growth to $28,504 by year four helps somewhat, but it doesn't fundamentally change the math. With two-thirds of students receiving Pell grants, this program appears to be serving low-income students poorly, saddling them with private-college debt levels for community-college earnings. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means individual outcomes vary, but the pattern is consistent with a program that costs too much for what it delivers. Unless your child has compelling reasons to choose Laurus specifically, California's community colleges offer the same credential with dramatically less debt and often better earnings outcomes.