U.S. median for this major: $64,798.
College Scorecard field of study; 111 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 28% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,808.
College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $62,459. College Scorecard.
PLU Business Administration: pay against the field, and payback
Same major, other colleges
Median earnings 4 years after graduating; state and U.S. figures are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major. College Scorecard; calculated by EducationGuide.
Business Administration nationally: jobs, pay at ages 25-34, every state →
Cost to finish and years to pay back, by income
Uses PLU's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $13,609 | $58,519 | 1.7 years |
| $30–48k | $12,948 | $55,676 | 1.6 years |
| $48–75k | $15,756 | $67,751 | 1.9 years |
| $75–110k | $22,535 | $96,901 | 2.7 years |
| $110k+ | $26,915 | $115,735 | 3.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (51% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of Business Administration graduates 4 years after graduating ($75,576) minus $40,219 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $35,357 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard; IPEDS Graduation Rates; U.S. Census Bureau ACS. Calculated by EducationGuide.
Business Administration at Washington colleges
Every Washington college we cover that reports Business Administration graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants. Colleges marked "mostly 2-year" or "bachelor's & associate" award more associate degrees than bachelor's; their bachelor's programs often serve working adults finishing a degree (for example, nurses completing a BSN), so their graduates' earnings can run higher than those of students starting college at 18.
| Rank | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt | Avg. net price | Graduation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City University of Seattle | $99,735 | $18,000 | — | — |
| 2 | Washington State University | $81,321 | $21,102 | $14,971 | 61% |
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $78,771 | $15,000 | $14,091 | 85% |
| 4 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | $78,771 | $15,000 | $12,319 | 65% |
| 5 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus | $78,771 | $15,000 | $10,163 | 63% |
| 6 | University of Puget Sound | $77,585 | $26,442 | $38,394 | 68% |
| 7 | Columbia Basin Collegemostly 2-year | $77,260 | $12,500 | $8,317 | 33% |
| 8 | Pacific Lutheran University | $75,576 | $20,959 | $19,589 | 69% |
| 9 | Whitworth University | $75,038 | $29,124 | $26,534 | 71% |
| 10 | Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs | $75,038 | $29,124 | — | — |
| 11 | Central Washington University | $73,036 | $20,000 | $18,476 | 54% |
| 12 | Seattle University | $72,360 | $22,979 | $34,662 | 76% |
| 13 | Northwest University | $72,343 | $25,000 | $22,288 | 71% |
| 14 | Western Washington University | $71,886 | $17,375 | $21,193 | 65% |
| 15 | Saint Martin's University | $67,805 | $25,000 | $28,119 | 52% |
| 16 | Clark Collegemostly 2-year | $67,014 | $23,274 | $11,465 | 39% |
| 17 | Eastern Washington University | $65,503 | $19,168 | $13,886 | 43% |
| 18 | Olympic Collegemostly 2-year | $60,256 | $11,305 | $7,172 | 31% |
| 19 | Yakima Valley Collegemostly 2-year | $59,398 | — | $11,843 | 29% |
| 20 | Northwest Indian Collegebachelor's & associate | $58,804 | — | $3,136 | 18% |
| 21 | Heritage University | $52,449 | — | $14,598 | 54% |
| 22 | Faith International University | $49,234 | — | $22,662 | 25% |
16 more Washington colleges offer Business Administration but have too few graduates to report earnings.
Careers for Business Administration graduates
Management analyst
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +10.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
General and Operations Managers
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
Project Management Specialists
Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +6.7% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.
What families pay at PLU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About PLU
- Acceptance rate: 78% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 69% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $66,990
- Full cost breakdown · all 40 majors · overview
Related majors at PLU
- Accounting—
- Economics—
PLU Business Administration questions
How much do PLU Business Administration graduates earn?
Business Administration graduates of Pacific Lutheran University earn a median $75,576 four years after graduating and $52,919 one year after. The U.S. median for Business Administration graduates across 1104 colleges is $64,798.
How much debt do PLU Business Administration graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Business Administration graduates of Pacific Lutheran University is $20,959, about 28% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,808.
Is PLU a good school for Business Administration in Washington?
On pay, Business Administration graduates of Pacific Lutheran University earn $75,576 four years out, $2,878 above the median for the same major across 22 Washington colleges ($72,698) and $10,778 above the U.S. median ($64,798). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does PLU rank for Business Administration in Washington?
Of 22 Washington colleges reporting Business Administration graduate earnings, Pacific Lutheran University ranks 8th; among the 17 that mostly award bachelor's degrees it ranks 7th. The highest is City University of Seattle at $99,735.
What jobs do Business Administration graduates get?
A common career is management analyst, with a median wage of $126,340 in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area and $101,860 nationally. Others include general and operations managers and project management specialists.
Is PLU the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing PLU with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
Build my free reportCheck my chances of getting inWe never share your contact information.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Pacific Lutheran University Business Administration: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/pacific-lutheran-university/majors/business-administration (College Scorecard and BLS data).