Hospitality Administration/Management at University of Pittsburgh-Bradford

The debt burden here requires careful consideration—at an estimated $26,905, hospitality management graduates from Pitt-Bradford would carry more debt than peers at most comparable Pennsylvania programs, where the typical load is around $23,920 nationally. That's a meaningful difference when first-year earnings hover around $35,000, a figure derived from Pennsylvania's hospitality bachelor's programs. This creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77, meaning nearly eight months of gross income would go to debt—workable but tight for an industry known for demanding hours and relatively modest starting pay.

What makes this harder to evaluate is that both the earnings and debt figures are estimates based on similar programs across Pennsylvania, not actual outcomes from Pitt-Bradford's hospitality graduates specifically. The small graduate sample prevents the Department of Education from publishing this school's specific data. Looking at programs that do report outcomes—like East Stroudsburg at $38,531 or York College at $37,238—suggests some Pennsylvania schools produce stronger early earnings in this field, though whether Pitt-Bradford falls in that range or below it remains unclear.

The practical reality: hospitality careers often emphasize location and hands-on experience as much as the degree itself. If your child has strong connections to the Bradford area or specific career goals there, this program might make sense. But given the estimated debt load and uncertain earnings trajectory, you'd want concrete evidence of job placement success and industry connections before committing—information the school itself should be able to provide even when federal data can't.