How much debt do Lehigh University finance graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 3rd lowest of 22 finance bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.

Is a finance degree from Lehigh University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 30% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 44%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.

Lehigh University Finance (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Lehigh University finance graduates stay in Pennsylvania?

Many leave. 22% (33 of 151) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Finance and Financial Management Services
Private nonprofit university
Bethlehem, PA
About 193 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Lehigh University finance graduates earn more than graduates of most finance programs nationally, $76,720 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,250. It is one of the higher-paying finance degrees in Pennsylvania.

First-year earnings$76,72096th percentile of 407 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$134,07275% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,2503rd lowest of 22 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings30%Pennsylvania median 45%, national 44%

How it compares

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

	Lehigh University	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$76,720	$57,417	$53,373
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$134,072	$91,242	$77,457
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,250	$26,000	$23,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	30%	45%	44%
Programs compared		24	407

Five years out, Lehigh University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $42,830 more than the Pennsylvania median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Pennsylvania finance program

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

Lehigh UniversityOther Pennsylvania programs

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

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 75% between the first and fifth year.

Lehigh University grads, year 1$76,720

Lehigh University grads, year 5$134,072

All Pennsylvania finance grads, year 5$91,242

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $4,990 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$73,683Median debt $23,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$78,673Median debt $23,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $246 a month, or 3.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (126 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
Paying down the balance	50–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
In default	10% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 20 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $53,632.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

22% of graduates (33 of 151) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating. Prices in the Allentown area are about the same as the national average.

Careers this field leads to

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

General and Operations Managers

$103,130

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 172,010 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $49,990Top 10%: $220,530

Financial Managers

$145,610

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 32,180 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 65,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $83,180Top 10%: $286,240

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

$71,840

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 15,510 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 35,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $47,720Top 10%: $166,280

Financial and Investment Analysts

$84,460

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 13,310 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $57,260Top 10%: $155,320

About Lehigh University

Tuition and fees	$64,980 / year
Average net price after aid	$36,931 / year
Admission rate	26%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	88%
Undergraduate students	5,898

Finance ranks 9th of 21 bachelor's programs at Lehigh University by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($88,587), Computer and Information Science ($83,356), and Chemical Engineering ($82,435).

Other finance bachelor's programs near Bethlehem

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, PA · private nonprofit		$76,720	$23,250
DeSales UniversityCenter Valley, PA · private nonprofit	5 mi	$56,817	$27,000
Muhlenberg CollegeAllentown, PA · private nonprofit	7 mi	$61,304	$27,000
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	39 mi	$82,008	$26,197
Rider UniversityLawrenceville, NJ · private nonprofit	41 mi	$57,881	$27,000
La Salle UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$56,485	$25,500
Saint Joseph's UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	43 mi	$66,072	$25,000
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	45 mi	$58,807	$26,000
UPennPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	46 mi	$122,698	$12,865

Common questions

The median graduate earns $76,720 one year after graduating and $134,072 five years after. The median across finance bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $57,417.

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 Pennsylvania 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 finance 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

Finance bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Finance bachelor's programs in the US, ranked407 programs by pay and debt All Lehigh University programs, ranked21 programs by pay and debt