How much debt do Oakland University human resources graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,480, which ranks 6th lowest of 12 human resources bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $270 a month over 10 years.

Is a human resources degree from Oakland University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 50% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Michigan programs report higher pay.

Oakland University Human Resources (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Oakland University human resources graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 95% (263 of 277) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Human Resources Management and Services
Public university
Rochester Hills, MI
About 139 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Oakland University human resources graduates earn about what human resources graduates earn nationally, $51,010 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,480 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,442. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$51,01056th percentile of 151 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$67,09432% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,4806th lowest of 12 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings50%Michigan median 52%, national 53%

How it compares

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

	Oakland University	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$51,010	$50,498	$50,383
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$67,094	$67,244	$65,232
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,480	$26,240	$26,442
Debt as share of first-year pay	50%	52%	53%
Programs compared		12	151

Five years out, Oakland University graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan human resources program

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

Oakland UniversityOther Michigan 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 32% between the first and fifth year.

Oakland University grads, year 1$51,010

Oakland University grads, year 5$67,094

All Michigan human resources grads, year 5$67,244

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 slightly more in their first year than other graduates. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$51,439Median debt $25,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$48,126Median debt $25,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $270 a month, or 6.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (214 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	30–34%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–24%
In default	5% 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, 73 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $14,400.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

95% of graduates (263 of 277) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Detroit 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 human resources, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Human Resources Specialists

$69,520

Median pay in Michigan. 25,520 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 73,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $46,580Top 10%: $110,710

Training and Development Specialists

$64,350

Median pay in Michigan. 10,640 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, with about 46,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $38,550Top 10%: $106,250

Compliance Officers

$77,390

Median pay in Michigan. 9,720 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $46,290Top 10%: $120,560

Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors

$59,440

Median pay in Michigan. 9,170 people work in this job in Michigan. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 27,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $42,380Top 10%: $89,280

About Oakland University

In-state tuition and fees	$15,262 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,188 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,120 / year
Admission rate	88%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	58%
Undergraduate students	12,351

Human Resources ranks 17th of 40 bachelor's programs at Oakland University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($80,623), Computer Engineering ($78,709), and Mechanical Engineering ($78,213).

Other human resources bachelor's programs near Rochester Hills

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public		$51,010	$25,480
Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	23 mi	$48,324	$24,213
UM-DearbornDearborn, MI · public	25 mi	$55,944	$22,831
UM-FlintFlint, MI · public	34 mi	$39,385	$30,500
University of MichiganAnn Arbor, MI · public	38 mi	$82,714	$14,225
Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	53 mi	$50,383	$35,821

Common questions

The median graduate earns $51,010 one year after graduating and $67,094 five years after. The median across human resources bachelor's programs in Michigan is $50,498.

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 Michigan 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 human resources 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

Human Resources bachelor's programs in Michigan, ranked12 programs by pay and debt Human Resources bachelor's programs in the US, ranked151 programs by pay and debt All Oakland University programs, ranked40 programs by pay and debt