Business/Commerce at Lourdes University

A business degree that leaves graduates with an estimated $30,625 in debt—about $6,500 above Ohio's typical business program—deserves scrutiny, especially when earnings appear middle-of-the-pack. Based on comparable business programs in Ohio, first-year earnings around $48,600 would put Lourdes graduates roughly on par with state peers, though trailing some regional competitors like DeVry ($57,000) and Franklin University ($51,400). The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.63 suggests manageable but not negligible financial pressure in those early career years.

What complicates the picture is that these figures are estimates drawn from similar Ohio programs—the actual graduate cohort here was too small for the Department of Education to report. That uncertainty matters when you're comparing a $30,600 debt load against roughly $48,600 in earnings. If Lourdes' actual outcomes skew lower on earnings or higher on debt, the math becomes less forgiving quickly. The 27% Pell grant rate suggests a student body where financial missteps carry real consequences.

For parents weighing this option, the key question is whether Lourdes offers something specific—location, network, or program structure—that justifies betting on estimates rather than choosing a nearby competitor with documented outcomes. If your child has solid offers from schools like Akron or Ohio State's regional campuses with proven earnings data, those represent less financial guesswork.