How much debt do Purdue Northwest human resources graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,486, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 human resources bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $281 a month over 10 years.

Is a human resources degree from Purdue Northwest worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 56% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 53%. Compare the cost with other Indiana programs before deciding.

Purdue Northwest Human Resources (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Purdue Northwest human resources graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 81% (38 of 47) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Human Resources Management and Services
Public university
Hammond, IN
About 19 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Purdue Northwest human resources graduates earn about what human resources graduates earn nationally, $47,640 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,486 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,442. Two other Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$47,64030th percentile of 151 programs nationally

Median federal debt$26,4863rd lowest of 5 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings56%Indiana median 65%, national 53%

How it compares

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

	Purdue Northwest	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$47,640	$47,640	$50,383
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,486	$26,486	$26,442
Debt as share of first-year pay	56%	65%	53%
Programs compared		5	151

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

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

Purdue NorthwestOther Indiana programs

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

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $7,964 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$45,264

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$53,228

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $281 a month, or 7.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

81% of graduates (38 of 47) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $47,640 salary here buys what about $45,987 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 human resources, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Human Resources Specialists

$65,600

Median pay in Indiana. 17,110 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $44,810Top 10%: $106,830

Training and Development Specialists

$61,050

Median pay in Indiana. 8,450 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $39,060Top 10%: $101,520

Compliance Officers

$78,770

Median pay in Indiana. 5,120 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $47,650Top 10%: $134,820

Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors

$59,260

Median pay in Indiana. 5,610 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $41,180Top 10%: $82,690

About Purdue Northwest

In-state tuition and fees	$8,675 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,094 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,079 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	5,671

Human Resources ranks 13th of 27 bachelor's programs at Purdue Northwest by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($79,917), Nursing ($77,691), and Electrical Engineering Technology ($75,675).

Other human resources bachelor's programs near Hammond

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public		$47,640	$26,486
Concordia University-ChicagoRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	28 mi	$51,763	$34,419
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public	30 mi	$49,131	$15,365
Lewis UniversityRomeoville, IL · private nonprofit	31 mi	$50,361	$27,000
Northwestern UniversityEvanston, IL · private nonprofit	34 mi	$82,255	$38,832
Benedictine UniversityLisle, IL · private nonprofit	35 mi	$83,475	$31,872
North Central CollegeNaperville, IL · private nonprofit	37 mi	$53,587	$24,314

Common questions

The median graduate earns $47,640 one year after graduating. The median across human resources bachelor's programs in Indiana is $47,640.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Human Resources bachelor's programs in the US, ranked151 programs by pay and debt All Purdue Northwest programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt