Business Administration, Management and Operations at University of Alaska Fairbanks

UAF's business program carries higher debt than nearly every comparable program nationwide—ranking in the 6th percentile—while earnings lag behind other Alaska options. At $35,000 in student debt versus $46,949 in first-year earnings, graduates face a manageable but concerning 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio. The real issue is that this puts students in the bottom 40% of Alaska business programs, with University of Alaska Anchorage graduates earning roughly $4,500 more annually starting out.

The earnings trajectory shows modest 6% growth over four years, reaching just under $50,000. While this beats the national median slightly, it falls short of what the state's job market typically offers business graduates. Alaska's higher cost of living makes these earnings particularly tight, and taking on significantly more debt than the state median ($35,000 vs. $30,752) compounds the challenge.

The small sample size here matters—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these numbers could swing considerably year to year. If your child is committed to Fairbanks specifically, this program gets them across the finish line with reasonable debt levels. But if location is flexible, UAA's business program offers materially better earning potential with comparable debt loads, making it the stronger value proposition within the state system.