How much debt do Fisk University business administration graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,120, which ranks 17th lowest of 28 business administration bachelor's programs in Tennessee. That works out to about $277 a month over 10 years.

Is a business administration degree from Fisk University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 69% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Tennessee programs before deciding.

Fisk University Business Administration (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Business Administration, Management and Operations
Private nonprofit university
Nashville, TN

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Fisk University business administration graduates earn less than graduates of most business administration programs nationally, $38,089 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,120 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several Tennessee programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$38,08917th percentile of 1,105 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,12017th lowest of 28 Tennessee programs

Debt-to-earnings69%Tennessee median 56%, national 55%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Tennessee and national columns are the medians across all business administration bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Fisk University	Tennessee	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$38,089	$42,938	$45,396
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,120	$25,750	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	69%	56%	55%
Programs compared		28	1,105

Debt and first-year pay at every Tennessee business administration program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Tennessee medians.

Fisk UniversityOther Tennessee programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $277 a month, or 8.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Nashville area are about 4% below the national average, so a $38,089 salary here buys what about $39,537 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to business administration, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

General and Operations Managers

$106,970

Median pay in Tennessee. 63,720 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 285,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $50,820Top 10%: $230,660

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$66,390

Median pay in Tennessee. 49,870 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 127,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $43,650Top 10%: $103,790

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

$47,880

Median pay in Tennessee. 26,470 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 113,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $28,520Top 10%: $76,300

Project Management Specialists

$85,890

Median pay in Tennessee. 20,780 people work in this job in Tennessee. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 76,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $56,450Top 10%: $135,350

About Fisk University

Tuition and fees	$25,858 / year
Average net price after aid	$32,020 / year
Admission rate	37%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	30%
Undergraduate students	1,035

Business Administration is the only bachelor's program at Fisk University that reports first-year earnings.

Other business administration bachelor's programs near Nashville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Fisk UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit		$38,089	$26,120
Tennessee StateNashville, TN · public	1 mi	$40,077	$30,875
Trevecca Nazarene UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	3 mi	$47,547	$24,798
Lipscomb UniversityNashville, TN · private nonprofit	4 mi	$51,379	$27,250
Cumberland UniversityLebanon, TN · private nonprofit	28 mi	$35,538	$19,297
Middle Tennessee StateMurfreesboro, TN · public	33 mi	$44,608	$20,000
Austin PeayClarksville, TN · public	40 mi	$38,750	$22,605
Western Kentucky UniversityBowling Green, KY · public	60 mi	$44,498	$25,320

Common questions

The median graduate earns $38,089 one year after graduating. The median across business administration bachelor's programs in Tennessee is $42,938.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Tennessee comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the business administration program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Business Administration bachelor's programs in Tennessee, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Business Administration bachelor's programs in the US, ranked1,105 programs by pay and debt