Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) at University of Holy Cross

A bachelor's degree in general legal studies with estimated first-year earnings around $39,000 and debt near $27,000 lands squarely in the middle of what peer programs nationally produce. The 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests manageable repayment—graduates would owe roughly 69 cents for every dollar earned in that first year, which falls within a workable range for most borrowers. However, it's worth noting that legal studies at the undergraduate level typically serves as a foundation for further education or positions in paralegal work, compliance, or administration rather than launching directly into high-paying legal careers.

The challenge here is that without reported outcomes specific to Holy Cross, you're betting on whether this program performs like the typical one nationally. Given the school's 99% admission rate and that just over a quarter of students receive Pell grants, the student body may differ from other institutions feeding into this estimate. General legal studies programs can vary significantly in their career preparation and employer connections, which matters enormously when most graduates aren't continuing to law school.

If your child is certain about paralegal work or a related field and plans to stay in the New Orleans area where Holy Cross has local ties, this could work. But if law school is the goal, or if they're uncertain about the career path, accumulating $27,000 in debt for a general studies degree—rather than a more specialized credential or a cheaper route to the same foundation—deserves serious scrutiny.