Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate) at Youngstown State University

A bachelor's degree in legal studies carrying an estimated $23,000 in debt might sound reasonable at first—until you consider that similar programs across Ohio typically produce first-year earnings around $51,000, not the $39,000 suggested by national peer data. That $12,000 gap matters significantly when you're making loan payments on a single income.

The estimated debt load here is actually slightly below both national and Ohio medians for these programs, which is encouraging. But the earnings estimate—derived from legal studies programs nationwide—positions graduates well below what Ohio employers appear to pay. Ohio State's legal studies graduates, for instance, earn that higher $51,000 figure. Whether Youngstown State's outcomes align more closely with the national average or the stronger Ohio market is the critical unknown here, and with both earnings and debt figures estimated from other programs, there's genuine uncertainty about this program's actual performance.

For an anxious parent, the question becomes whether you're comfortable with these blurred numbers. If the actual outcomes track closer to Ohio norms, this could work—a debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.5 is manageable. But if they skew toward the national average, you're looking at a tighter financial picture. Before committing, push the admissions office hard for concrete placement data: where do graduates actually work, and what do they earn? Without that specificity, you're making a $23,000 bet on incomplete information.