Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations at University of Vermont

University of Vermont's entrepreneurship program starts rough but rebounds impressively. That $32,386 first-year salary lands in just the 13th percentile nationally—graduates initially earn $13,000 less than the typical entrepreneurship graduate elsewhere. But four years out, earnings jump 73% to $56,123, surpassing the national median by more than $10,000. That trajectory suggests graduates may be using those early years to build businesses that take time to generate meaningful income.

Within Vermont's limited options (only three schools offer this major), UVM sits in the middle at the 60th percentile. The $21,125 debt load is actually below both state and national medians, which matters given that lean first year. Still, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65, new graduates face the equivalent of two-thirds of their annual salary in loans—manageable, but tight when you're potentially bootstrapping a venture.

The key question is whether your student can weather that difficult first year financially. If they have family support or flexible living arrangements, the later earnings growth makes this program competitive. But if they need to hit the ground earning, entrepreneurship programs at other schools start graduates $13,000 higher. The value here depends entirely on tolerance for a slow burn rather than immediate returns.