Is a business administration degree from Pennsylvania Western University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 66% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%. Compare the cost with other Pennsylvania programs before deciding.

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

Q: How much debt do Pennsylvania Western University business administration graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,782, which ranks 24th lowest of 65 business administration bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania. That works out to about $284 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Pennsylvania Western University business administration graduates stay in Pennsylvania?

Most do. 80% (219 of 275) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Business Administration, Management and Operations
Public university
California, PA
About 118 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Pennsylvania Western University business administration graduates earn about what business administration graduates earn nationally, $40,356 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,782 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several Pennsylvania programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$40,35626th percentile of 1,105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$55,98339% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,78224th lowest of 65 Pennsylvania programs

Debt-to-earnings66%Pennsylvania median 58%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	Pennsylvania Western University	Pennsylvania	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$40,356	$46,866	$45,396
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$55,983	$65,063	$62,714
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,782	$27,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	66%	58%	55%
Programs compared		65	1,105

Five years out, Pennsylvania Western University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $9,080 less than the Pennsylvania median. Several Pennsylvania programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

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

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

Pennsylvania Western 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 39% between the first and fifth year.

Pennsylvania Western University grads, year 1$40,356

Pennsylvania Western University grads, year 5$55,983

All Pennsylvania business administration grads, year 5$65,063

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 $6,485 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$38,347Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$44,832Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $284 a month, or 8.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (224 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–14%
Paying down the balance	40–44%
Paused payments (forbearance)	5–9%
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, 26 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,544.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

80% of graduates (219 of 275) were working in Pennsylvania one year after graduating. Prices in the Pittsburgh area are about 5% below the national average, so a $40,356 salary here buys what about $42,628 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

$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

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$65,270

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 56,600 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $45,000Top 10%: $97,560

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

$46,690

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 40,970 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $30,830Top 10%: $73,880

Project Management Specialists

$100,150

Median pay in Pennsylvania. 36,150 people work in this job in Pennsylvania. 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%: $61,600Top 10%: $160,560

About Pennsylvania Western University

In-state tuition and fees	$11,436 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,054 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,256 / year
Admission rate	94%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	7,451

Business Administration ranks 9th of 33 bachelor's programs at Pennsylvania Western University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($70,857), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($48,822), and Accounting ($48,418).

Other business administration bachelor's programs near California

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Pennsylvania Western UniversityCalifornia, PA · public		$40,356	$26,782
Waynesburg UniversityWaynesburg, PA · private nonprofit	20 mi	$43,209	$27,000
Carlow UniversityPittsburgh, PA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$48,121	$27,351
Duquesne UniversityPittsburgh, PA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$58,781	$27,000
Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, PA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$95,891	$23,250
University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · public	26 mi	$62,675	$21,000
Point Park UniversityPittsburgh, PA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$41,910	$30,899
Saint Vincent CollegeLatrobe, PA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$46,866	$27,000
WVUMorgantown, WV · public	30 mi	$49,634	$25,242

Common questions

The median graduate earns $40,356 one year after graduating and $55,983 five years after. The median across business administration bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania is $46,866.

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 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 Pennsylvania, ranked65 programs by pay and debt Business Administration bachelor's programs in the US, ranked1,105 programs by pay and debt All Pennsylvania Western University programs, ranked40 programs by pay and debt