Finance and Financial Management Services at Lyon College

A finance degree from Lyon College carries an estimated $25,812 in debt—higher than what comparable Arkansas finance programs typically report ($21,118 median). This matters because similar programs across the state suggest first-year earnings around $53,536, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio that's workable but not ideal. You're looking at roughly half a year's salary in debt, which is manageable but leaves little room for error if your child takes longer to land that first finance job or ends up in a lower-paying position.

The earnings picture based on peer Arkansas programs aligns almost exactly with the national median for finance degrees ($53,590), suggesting this field pays consistently whether you study in Arkansas or elsewhere. However, the programs with reported data at University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the flagship University of Arkansas show meaningfully higher starting salaries—$7,000 to $10,000 more annually. That gap matters when you're carrying similar debt loads.

For a family weighing this investment, the key question is whether Lyon's smaller environment justifies paying slightly more debt for potentially average outcomes. If your child thrives in intimate settings and has concrete finance connections in Arkansas, this could work. But if they're chasing maximum earning power or prefer larger career services networks, the state's larger universities appear to deliver stronger financial returns from day one.