Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at University of Delaware

Is a business degree really worth $23,350 in debt when graduates start at $52,000? For University of Delaware's entrepreneurship program, the answer looks surprisingly solid—even though the debt figure comes from comparable programs nationwide rather than UDel's own graduates. The estimated debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.45 means students could feasibly pay off loans within five years of aggressive repayment, a manageable burden for a bachelor's degree.

The $52,185 first-year salary puts this program in the 78th percentile nationally among entrepreneurship degrees, well above the national median of $45,265. That's a meaningful premium—about $7,000 more annually than the typical graduate in this field. Delaware's small market makes state comparisons less useful (only two schools offer this degree), but UDel appears to be the stronger option based on these earnings estimates.

The caveat: we're working with estimated debt based on what other UDel bachelor's programs typically produce, not actual figures from entrepreneurship graduates specifically. If this program attracts students who borrow more heavily—perhaps to fund startup costs or unpaid internships—the debt picture could be worse. Still, the earnings advantage suggests UDel is doing something right with placement or curriculum. For families comfortable with roughly $24,000 in loans, this appears to be a defensible investment in a field where institutional reputation and network matter considerably.