ROI Major

Finance and Financial Management Services at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

TX · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.08

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Finance and Financial Management Services degree from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley earn a median salary of $61,394 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $66,660. 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

$47,882

Typical Career

$61,394

Top Performers

$78,903

Estimated break-even: 8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$409

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,116. Most students can comfortably afford about a $409 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 Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 45.2%
Health Care & Social Assistance 19.3%
Public Administration 5.8%

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

$66,660

Nominal: $61,394 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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 $33,857 $46,536 $58,831
5 Years After Graduation $47,882 $61,394 $78,903
10 Years After Graduation $55,922 $72,135 $98,836

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 $61,394 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $61,394 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $66,660 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Finance and Financial Management Services from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley experience a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $46,536, which increases to $61,394 five years post-graduation and reaches $72,135 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $66,660.15, indicating that graduates can expect a competitive salary relative to their peers across the country, despite the cost of living index in Texas being lower at 0.921 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (45.2%), Health Care & Social Assistance (19.3%), and Public Administration (5.8%), suggesting a diverse range of career opportunities. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately eight years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field. Overall, the combination of solid earnings growth and diverse employment sectors supports a favorable assessment of the ROI for students considering this academic path.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Finance and Financial Management Services degree at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 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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