Business, Management, Marketing, at Southwestern College

A business degree from Southwestern College lands graduates at $53,543 in their first year—right at the national median but trailing most Kansas competitors. While this sits in the 57th percentile nationally, it falls to the 40th percentile within Kansas, suggesting other in-state options may deliver stronger outcomes. The estimated $26,500 in debt, based on comparable small private colleges, translates to a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in roughly six months of gross income.

The caveat: we're working with estimated debt figures here since the graduate cohort was too small for the Department of Education to publish actual numbers. Similar institutions typically produce debt loads in this range, but individual outcomes at Southwestern could vary. What we do know is that nearly 40% of students receive Pell grants, indicating this program serves a significant population of lower-income students who need strong earnings to justify the investment.

For families deciding between Kansas business programs, Fort Hays State graduates earn nearly identical first-year salaries but likely with lower debt at a public institution. Southwestern's outcomes aren't alarming—the debt load is reasonable and earnings meet national standards—but parents should understand they're paying private college prices for middle-of-the-pack Kansas results, and the debt figure carries more uncertainty than usual.