ROI Major

Business Administration and Management at Indiana University - East

IN · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.02

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business Administration and Management degree from Indiana University - East earn a median salary of $61,495 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $68,025. The degree typically pays for itself in 8 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$45,522

Typical Career

$61,495

Top Performers

$83,167

Estimated break-even: 8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$410

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,125. Most students can comfortably afford about a $410 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Indiana buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Manufacturing.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.3%
Educational Services 15.4%
Manufacturing 10.4%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$68,025

Nominal: $61,495 in Indiana (COL 90.4% of national avg) · 10.6% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

8 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $35,224 $48,336 $66,408
5 Years After Graduation $45,522 $61,495 $83,167
10 Years After Graduation $49,010 $65,924 $91,023

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $61,495 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IN, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.4% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $61,495 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9040) = $68,025 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Business Administration and Management program at Indiana University - East can expect a solid earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $48,336, which increases to $61,495 five years post-graduation and reaches $65,924 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $68,025.44 nationally, indicating a competitive salary relative to the cost of living in Indiana, where the COL index is 0.904 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The program's graduates predominantly enter sectors such as Health Care & Social Assistance (30.3%), Educational Services (15.4%), and Manufacturing (10.4%). This distribution suggests a diverse range of opportunities in stable industries. With an estimated break-even point of approximately eight years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable. Overall, the combination of earnings potential and industry entry points supports a positive outlook for students considering this career path.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Business Administration and Management degree at Indiana University - East stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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