Business, Management, Marketing, at Sterling College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.52—based on what comparable business programs nationally suggest—indicates this program should leave graduates with manageable debt relative to their expected income. With first-year earnings estimated around $50,740 and borrowing around $26,500, a graduate could theoretically dedicate about half their annual salary to loan repayment if necessary, though standard repayment plans would require far less.

The challenge here is that these figures come entirely from peer institutions since Sterling College's business program has too few graduates for the Department of Education to publish its actual outcomes. Other Kansas business programs report median earnings in the $53,000-$54,000 range—slightly higher than the national benchmark used here—which suggests Sterling's graduates might perform similarly, though there's no certainty. A moderately selective school (53% admission rate) with significant Pell enrollment (32%) serving a rural Kansas community may produce different outcomes than the national average.

For parents considering this investment, the estimated numbers point to reasonable financial viability, but you're making this decision without school-specific data to verify whether Sterling's particular program delivers those results. The lack of reported outcomes reflects small class sizes rather than poor performance, but it also means you're trusting that Sterling's program performs at least as well as the median business school nationally—a leap of faith that some families will find acceptable and others won't.