Purdue University Northwest Business Administration: earnings, debt & careers

Business Administration graduates of Purdue University Northwest earn a median $57,191 four years after graduating ($44,971 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $28,000. That is $7,607 below the U.S. median for Business Administration graduates ($64,798 across 1104 colleges), and ranks 22nd of 28 Indiana colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$57,191

U.S. median for this major: $64,798.

College Scorecard field of study; 46 graduates with earnings reported. A small group, so treat this figure with caution

Earnings, 1 year after
$44,971

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$28,000

About 49% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,808.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$6,079 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $15,571. College Scorecard.

PNW Business Administration: pay against the field, and payback

Same major, other colleges

PNW graduates$57,191
Indiana median (32 colleges)$64,970 (−$7,779)
U.S. median (1104 colleges)$64,798 (−$7,607)

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 PNW's school-wide net price (no college reports it by major) and this major's graduate earnings.

Family incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$1,432$6,387under 1 year
$30–48k$2,428$10,829under 1 year
$48–75k$7,026$31,3361.4 years
$75–110k$12,452$55,5362.6 years
$110k+$13,645$60,8572.8 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (28% 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 ($57,191) minus $35,534 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IN (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $21,657 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 Indiana colleges

Every Indiana 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.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1Purdue University$81,040$19,500$14,60083%
2Valparaiso University$78,163$27,000$18,57870%
3Franklin College$77,821—$22,85560%
4Taylor University$76,192$25,356$24,86574%
5Ball State University$75,703$20,500$14,94062%
6Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion$75,533$42,138$22,86667%
7Saint Mary's College$73,449$27,000$25,29269%
8Indiana University-Indianapolis$72,282$26,000$11,66854%
9University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne$70,794—$18,19655%
10Indiana State University$67,478$23,025$10,87343%
11Marian University$66,959$27,000$24,01867%
12Grace College and Theological Seminary$66,597$20,104$19,93269%
13Indiana Institute of Technology$66,296$38,629$23,20648%
14Manchester University$63,644$27,000$18,80546%
15Indiana University-East$62,886$20,789$8,13440%
16University of Indianapolis$61,006$27,000$21,60256%
17Purdue University Fort Wayne$60,816$24,000$13,17136%
18Earlham College$60,745$27,000$24,71469%
19Huntington University$59,538—$19,31064%
20Bethel University$58,731$27,000$18,61053%
21Oakland City University$58,663$25,875$15,21066%
22Purdue University Northwest$57,191$28,000$6,07943%
23Trine University$57,055$23,250$25,35564%
24University of Southern Indianabachelor's & associate$56,804$21,602$12,92348%
25Anderson University$55,736$27,000$25,02154%
26Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College$55,611$24,805$31,87247%
27University of Evansville$53,964$25,000$18,49964%
28Calumet College of Saint Joseph$46,551$25,000$22,45123%

5 more Indiana colleges offer Business Administration but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Business Administration graduates

Management analyst

Chicago area$105,090
Indiana$95,560
U.S.$101,860

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +10.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

General and Operations Managers

Chicago area$109,390
Indiana$108,170
U.S.$105,770

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Project Management Specialists

Chicago area$105,320
Indiana$95,020
U.S.$102,320

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 PNW, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About PNW

Related majors at PNW

PNW Business Administration questions

How much do PNW Business Administration graduates earn?

Business Administration graduates of Purdue University Northwest earn a median $57,191 four years after graduating and $44,971 one year after. The U.S. median for Business Administration graduates across 1104 colleges is $64,798.

How much debt do PNW Business Administration graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Business Administration graduates of Purdue University Northwest is $28,000, about 49% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,808.

Is PNW a good school for Business Administration in Indiana?

On pay, Business Administration graduates of Purdue University Northwest earn $57,191 four years out, $7,779 below the median for the same major across 32 Indiana colleges ($64,970) and $7,607 below the U.S. median ($64,798). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.

Where does PNW rank for Business Administration in Indiana?

Of 28 Indiana colleges reporting Business Administration graduate earnings, Purdue University Northwest ranks 22nd. The highest is Purdue University at $81,040.

What jobs do Business Administration graduates get?

A common career is management analyst, with a median wage of $105,090 in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area and $101,860 nationally. Others include general and operations managers and project management specialists.

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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
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Cite this: “Purdue University Northwest Business Administration: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/purdue-university-northwest/majors/business-administration (College Scorecard and BLS data).