Finance and Financial Management Services at University of Alaska Anchorage

A finance degree from UAA carries a debt burden estimated at $22,192—slightly below the national median for finance programs—while graduates earn around $52,700 in their first year. That puts borrowers in a manageable position, with debt equal to just 42% of first-year earnings. Based on comparable finance programs nationwide, this suggests monthly loan payments would consume roughly 5% of gross income under standard repayment terms.

The earnings trajectory shows solid growth, climbing 24% to over $65,000 by year four. While first-year earnings sit near the national median for finance degrees, UAA graduates appear to hold their own in Alaska's market, ranking at the 60th percentile statewide (though UAA is the only school in Alaska with data available for comparison). Similar programs elsewhere suggest these earnings should support both loan repayment and basic living expenses, though Anchorage's cost of living deserves consideration.

The real question is whether these estimated outcomes reflect UAA's actual track record or if they're masking either better or worse results. The suppressed data means we can't see how many graduates these figures represent or how widely individual outcomes vary. For parents, this points toward a practical step: request placement data directly from UAA's finance department to understand where recent graduates actually land—which employers hire them and at what salaries—before committing to the program.