How much debt do Ohio University business economics graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 5 business economics bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.

Is a business economics degree from Ohio University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 35% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 42%.

Ohio University Business Economics (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Business/Managerial Economics
Public university
Athens, OH
About 10 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Ohio University business economics graduates earn more than graduates of most business economics programs nationally, $60,236 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $22,419. Two other Ohio programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$60,23679th percentile of 75 programs nationally

Median federal debt$21,0002nd lowest of 5 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings35%Ohio median 40%, national 42%

How it compares

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

	Ohio University	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$60,236	$59,720	$52,087
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,000	$24,274	$22,419
Debt as share of first-year pay	35%	40%	42%
Programs compared		6	75

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio business economics program

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

Ohio UniversityOther Ohio 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 $223 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the parts of Ohio outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $60,236 salary here buys what about $68,208 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 economics, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Management Analysts

$94,270

Median pay in Ohio. 25,120 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 94,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $61,600Top 10%: $146,740

Financial Risk Specialists

$98,650

Median pay in Ohio. 2,110 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $62,710Top 10%: $163,210

Economists

$120,000

Median pay in Ohio. 140 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $69,770Top 10%: $216,920

Survey Researchers

$57,630

Median pay in Ohio. 320 people work in this job in Ohio. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 600 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.

Bottom 10%: $36,130Top 10%: $112,490

About Ohio University

In-state tuition and fees	$14,158 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,838 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,637 / year
Admission rate	85%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	19,633

Business Economics ranks 12th of 53 bachelor's programs at Ohio University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($75,809), Computer Science ($73,932), and Industrial Engineering ($70,199).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $60,236 one year after graduating. The median across business economics bachelor's programs in Ohio is $59,720.

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 Ohio 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 economics 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 Economics bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Business Economics bachelor's programs in the US, ranked75 programs by pay and debt All Ohio University programs, ranked60 programs by pay and debt