Business Administration, Management and Operations at University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame's business program comes with an estimated $27,000 in debt—roughly in line with both state and national norms for business degrees—but the earnings picture raises questions. Based on comparable business programs across Indiana, first-year graduates typically earn around $49,245. That's a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55, but it's surprisingly modest for an institution with a 12% admission rate and average SAT scores of 1510.

The disconnect becomes clearer when you look at peer programs in Indiana. Several state schools—including Ball State, Indiana Wesleyan, and Grace College—report actual graduate earnings between $58,000 and $62,000, well above what similar programs at Notre Dame's level suggest. This doesn't necessarily mean Notre Dame graduates earn less; the data is suppressed due to small sample sizes, likely because many students pursue graduate degrees immediately or the school's business program enrollment is relatively small. But without hard numbers, you're banking on the school's reputation to bridge a gap that the available data can't confirm.

The practical issue: you're paying for elite credentials while the comparable-program estimates place outcomes closer to solid state universities. If your child plans to leverage Notre Dame's network into consulting, finance, or an MBA track, the investment may still pay off through doors those credentials open. But if the goal is immediate post-grad earnings in traditional management roles, the estimated figures suggest you might get similar or better outcomes elsewhere at lower cost.