Business Administration, Management and Operations at Point Loma Nazarene University

Point Loma Nazarene's business program lands squarely in the middle of California's competitive landscape, but that positioning comes with a crucial advantage: remarkably low debt. At $18,750, graduates carry less than half the typical California business student's burden ($21,000) and roughly 70% less than the national median. This creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.39—meaning the entire loan balance equals less than five months of first-year salary.

The earnings picture is more nuanced. First-year salaries of $48,397 trail the California median slightly but exceed the national average, putting graduates at the 60th percentile nationally even while sitting at the 40th percentile within their home state. That gap reflects California's concentration of high-earning business programs—Berkeley and USC grads start above $70,000—rather than weakness in PLNU's outcomes. The 16% earnings growth to $56,297 by year four shows solid trajectory, though the moderate sample size means individual experiences may vary.

For families weighing San Diego's private school premium, this program delivers responsible positioning: competitive enough earnings with exceptionally manageable debt. You won't match the top UC or USC outcomes, but you'll enter the workforce without the financial stress that shadows many business graduates. That's particularly valuable for students who need breathing room in their early career rather than immediate pressure to maximize income.