Business Administration, Management and Operations at Otterbein University

Otterbein's business program lands squarely in the middle of the pack, with graduates earning slightly less than the state median ($60,614 vs. $61,423 at four years out). That 40th percentile ranking among Ohio business programs tells the real story—this isn't Miami or Ohio State territory, but it's not bottom-tier either. The $26,247 in median debt is essentially average for business degrees, creating a manageable first-year debt ratio of 0.59.

What makes this harder to evaluate is the small sample size—we're looking at fewer than 30 graduates, which means one or two outliers could shift these numbers significantly. The 36% earnings growth from year one to year four suggests decent career progression, but you're starting from below-average footing. When top Ohio programs like Miami ($67,823) and Dayton ($63,897) place graduates at substantially higher salaries, the $7,000-8,000 annual difference compounds significantly over a career.

For an 83% acceptance rate school with moderate SAT scores, these outcomes are reasonable but unexceptional. If your child has admission offers from higher-ranked Ohio public universities, those provide better returns. Otterbein makes more sense if substantial merit aid brings the debt below $20,000, or if smaller class sizes and campus fit are genuinely worth the opportunity cost of potentially higher earnings elsewhere.