U.S. median for this major: $64,798.
College Scorecard field of study; 377 graduates with earnings reported
Median for graduates who received federal aid.
College Scorecard field of study
About 25% 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 $37,684. College Scorecard.
CU 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 CU'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 | $14,231 | $60,624 | 1.3 years |
| $30–48k | $14,381 | $61,263 | 1.3 years |
| $48–75k | $18,828 | $80,207 | 1.8 years |
| $75–110k | $26,915 | $114,658 | 2.5 years |
| $110k+ | $34,818 | $148,325 | 3.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (58% 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 ($86,441) minus $40,610 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in CO (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $45,831 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 Colorado colleges
Every Colorado 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 | University of Colorado Boulder | $86,441 | $21,500 | $25,346 | 74% |
| 2 | Regis University | $81,628 | $31,000 | $18,397 | 61% |
| 3 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | $79,256 | $20,967 | $21,279 | 67% |
| 4 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | $75,142 | $23,000 | $11,900 | 46% |
| 5 | University of Northern Colorado | $74,278 | $21,125 | $17,760 | 51% |
| 6 | Colorado Christian University | $72,519 | $24,870 | $29,500 | 64% |
| 7 | Colorado Mesa Universitybachelor's & associate | $69,297 | $21,000 | $15,103 | 41% |
| 8 | University of Colorado Colorado Springs | $66,553 | $22,002 | $15,788 | 47% |
| 9 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | $65,387 | $25,800 | $15,327 | 32% |
| 10 | Colorado Mountain Collegemostly 2-year | $64,949 | $14,732 | $7,813 | 27% |
| 11 | Western Colorado University | $61,876 | $24,000 | $16,425 | 51% |
3 more Colorado 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 CU, by income
School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.
College Scorecard
About CU
- Acceptance rate: 78% · admissions
- Graduation rate: 74% within 6 years
- Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $69,738
- Full cost breakdown · all 68 majors · overview
Related majors at CU
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Economics$73,319
CU Business Administration questions
How much do CU Business Administration graduates earn?
Business Administration graduates of University of Colorado Boulder earn a median $86,441 four years after graduating and $56,014 one year after. The U.S. median for Business Administration graduates across 1104 colleges is $64,798.
How much debt do CU Business Administration graduates have?
The median federal loan debt for Business Administration graduates of University of Colorado Boulder is $21,500, about 25% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,808.
Is CU a good school for Business Administration in Colorado?
On pay, Business Administration graduates of University of Colorado Boulder earn $86,441 four years out, $13,043 above the median for the same major across 12 Colorado colleges ($73,398) and $21,643 above the U.S. median ($64,798). Medians of each college's graduates; EducationGuide calculation from College Scorecard.
Where does CU rank for Business Administration in Colorado?
Of 11 Colorado colleges reporting Business Administration graduate earnings, University of Colorado Boulder ranks 1st, the highest.
What jobs do Business Administration graduates get?
A common career is management analyst, with a median wage of $131,470 in the Boulder, CO 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
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of Colorado Boulder Business Administration: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder/majors/business-administration (College Scorecard and BLS data).