Information Science/Studies at Strayer University-South Carolina

Strayer's Information Science program lands graduates in the 80th percentile for earnings among South Carolina programs—beating the state median by nearly $23,000 in year one and outpacing most competitors except Clemson. Starting at $71,167 and growing to $78,793 by year four, these graduates earn substantially more than the typical South Carolina IS professional. The catch? You're paying nearly double the typical debt load to get there, with $53,250 in loans compared to a state median around $26,000.

Here's the math that matters: that 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe about 9 months of their first-year salary. While higher than ideal, it's manageable given the strong earning power, and the 11% earnings growth suggests stable career progression. The program primarily serves students from lower-income backgrounds (79% receive Pell grants), and the robust sample size of 100+ graduates confirms these aren't outliers—this is what Strayer consistently delivers.

For families focused purely on ROI, Clemson offers better earnings with likely lower debt. But if your child needs Strayer's flexible format or doesn't have access to traditional four-year options, this program demonstrates it can deliver competitive career outcomes. The debt is real, but so are the earnings—just budget carefully for those loan payments in the early years.