Finance and Financial Management Services at University of St Thomas

The small sample size here demands caution, but the pattern is troubling enough to warrant concern. University of St Thomas finance graduates earn $47,699 their first year—about $5,000 below the Texas median and nearly $6,000 below the national benchmark. While the debt load of $30,625 sits in just the 5th percentile nationally (meaning it's higher than 95% of similar programs), the 0.64 debt-to-earnings ratio remains manageable. Still, when other Texas schools like UT Austin and Texas A&M are launching finance graduates into $70,000+ salaries, this program's 40th percentile state ranking suggests middling outcomes at best.

The gap is stark: SMU and UT Austin finance grads earn nearly $35,000 more in their first year than St Thomas graduates. Even accounting for differences in selectivity and cost of attendance, that's a significant earnings disadvantage in a field where early career trajectory and networking matter enormously. For a program with a 93% admission rate serving a substantial population of Pell-eligible students, these outcomes raise questions about whether graduates are accessing the same entry-level opportunities as peers from more established programs.

Given the uncertainty from the small sample and the earnings disadvantage compared to other Texas options, families should dig deeper into job placement specifics and compare net costs carefully. If St Thomas offers substantially lower tuition than alternatives, the debt-to-earnings math might work, but the earnings gap suggests this program faces competitive disadvantages in the Houston finance job market.