Business Operations Support and Assistant Services at Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Cupey Campus

The $6,012 first-year salary here tells a stark story about Puerto Rico's economic reality, not necessarily this program's quality. While these earnings rank in just the 5th percentile nationally, they're actually at the 60th percentile among Puerto Rico's 27 business operations programs—meaning graduates here earn about what's typical for the island, where median household income is roughly half that of any U.S. state. The real problem is that even $11,000 in debt becomes crushing when annual earnings are this low, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.83 that would take nearly two years of total income to repay.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) adds uncertainty, but the pattern is consistent with broader Puerto Rican economic data. With 69% of students receiving Pell grants, most families here are already financially stretched. The harsh math: this degree leads to earnings that would qualify a single person for federal poverty assistance in the continental U.S., though they may represent stable employment by local standards.

For mainland families, this program makes little financial sense unless there are compelling personal reasons to stay in Puerto Rico. For Puerto Rican families, the question isn't whether this beats national benchmarks—it won't—but whether the degree opens doors to steady work that wouldn't otherwise be accessible, and whether $11,000 in debt is manageable given the island's limited job market.