Business Administration, Management and Operations at Ohio Wesleyan University

Ohio Wesleyan's business program delivers first-year earnings of $41,734—about $4,000 below both the national and Ohio medians for business degrees. Among Ohio's 64 business programs, this ranks in the 40th percentile, meaning roughly 60% of similar in-state programs produce stronger early earnings. The gap becomes striking when you see what students earn at top Ohio programs: Miami University graduates start at $67,823, and even large state schools like Ohio State and Cincinnati place graduates above $60,000. For a selective private university (average SAT of 1311), these outcomes fall short of what you'd expect.

The financial fundamentals aren't alarming—$27,000 in debt is reasonable, and the 0.65 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in about eight months of gross income. However, at a private institution where total costs likely exceed those at Ohio's public universities, the value equation becomes harder to justify when the earnings advantage simply isn't there.

The straightforward reality: If you're paying private school tuition for business, you'd want outcomes that at least match the state median. This program misses that mark. Unless Ohio Wesleyan offers substantial merit aid that brings net costs down significantly, Ohio families should seriously consider the state's public universities, where business graduates consistently earn $15,000-$20,000 more right out of the gate.