Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Marian University

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.75 looks manageable on paper, but the picture here is cloudier than usual. Because Marian's graduate cohort was too small to report outcomes publicly, we're working with estimates drawn from 19 similar programs across Indiana—which means we don't know if this specific program performs better or worse than its peers. The estimated $35,931 first-year salary matches Indiana's median for liberal arts bachelor's degrees almost exactly, sitting just below the national figure of $36,340. That's functional income for early-career work, though the $27,000 in estimated debt means roughly nine months of gross earnings would go toward loan repayment.

What's harder to assess is where Marian graduates actually land compared to Indiana's top performers. Notre Dame liberal arts grads earn about $10,000 more in their first year, and even mid-tier Indiana programs produce outcomes around $41,000-$44,000. Whether Marian's outcomes cluster near the state average or fall below it matters enormously for managing that debt load. The school's 95% admission rate and below-average Pell enrollment (23%) suggest it serves a different population than the state's most selective institutions, but without actual graduate data, you're placing a bet on where this program sits within that range.

The practical concern: you're financing a degree whose actual value remains unverified by graduate outcomes. If the real figures align with estimates, repayment should be feasible. If they fall below, that debt becomes considerably heavier.