Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Saint Xavier University

Saint Xavier graduates start strong but face a troubling earnings pattern that demands explanation. While the $51,000 first-year salary ranks in the 95th percentile nationally and beats the Illinois median by $9,000, earnings drop to $40,385 by year four—a 21% decline that's unusual for any bachelor's degree. This backward trajectory means graduates are earning less after four years of career development than they did fresh out of college.

The debt picture adds complexity. At $31,000, borrowing sits slightly above both state and national medians, though the 0.61 debt-to-earnings ratio looks manageable based on that initial salary. The real question is what's driving the earnings decline: Are graduates taking lower-paying jobs aligned with their interests? Pursuing graduate school part-time? The data doesn't tell us, but this pattern typically signals either career transitions or that the strong starting salary doesn't represent the typical career path.

For parents, this warrants a direct conversation with the school about graduate outcomes and career trajectories. The program clearly opens doors to well-paying first jobs—it outperforms 95% of similar programs nationally in year-one earnings. But unless your child has a specific plan that explains why year-four earnings might dip (like graduate school or a deliberate career pivot), the debt load makes more sense at schools where earnings grow rather than shrink over time.