The Harbert College of Business at Auburn University offers an MBA that is one of the best deals in the country based on income-to-student loan debt ratio from U.S. Department of Education statistics. Nationally, the MBA is a degree that offers value. The Wall Street Journal analyzed federal student load data of nearly 600 programs and found that 98% of MBA students made more money within two years of graduation than they had borrowed. Results of their analysis are published in a recent article.

Data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS) shows that 51% of MBA students in the US graduated with loan debt in 2015-2016, the most recent reporting year. The average loan balance was $66,300, up from $54,800 in 2011-2012.

Based on the Wall Street Journal’s reported findings, Auburn’s full-time MBA had a median student debt of $41,000, compared to median earnings of $114,892. This equates to a .36 debt-to-income ratio, making it the best bargain in the state and one of the best in the nation.

Many students use an MBA to increase earning potential or pivot careers, and tuition cost is primary consideration when assessing investment return. Poets & Quants, an online resource for graduate business research and coverage, estimates that the average cost to attend a top-25 MBA program in the US for two years was $195,416 in 2020, up 0.7% from $194,031 in 2019. In contrast, Auburn’s full-time MBA is very competitively prices with tuition and fees totaling $26,139 and $490 respectfully. But many students don’t pay this much.  Competitive full-time MBA students have access to graduate assistantships, which offset tuition or reduce it to in-state levels while providing a monthly stipend.  “We have been able to add tuition assistance through graduate assistantships to increase access to our degree and our student’s ability to choose a post-graduate career without overwhelming financial burden,” said Jim Parrish, executive director, Full-Time and Online MBA Programs at the Harbert College of Business.

“In addition, our highly ranked online MBA program is competitively priced at $900 per credit hour—$35,350 in total, and our blended executive and physicians executive MBA programs provide inclusive tuition rates covering books, housing and most meals during campus residencies, and an international experience that stay fixed during the duration of a student’s 21 months in the program,” said Graduate Recruitment Director Jordan Holladay.

“I experienced a fantastic return on investment that happened much quicker than I anticipated,” said Melissa Grieve, a current Auburn Online MBA student who recently visited campus for her final capstone project. “Before I even graduated, I got hired on by a new company and got paid much more than I was making as a government employee.”

 “I have seen our programs be truly transformational,” said Parrish. “During an alumni event, a recent online MBA graduate told me he’d accepted a new position at his organization,” Parrish said. “He said the content learned in his MBA program made him an attractive candidate for the position, and the raise he received was just over costs to complete his graduate degree, giving an instant return on investment.”

As a land grant institution, Auburn is dedicated to program accessibility. Although competitively priced, the Auburn MBA program offers additional value through career development and global business experiences. And the recent addition of Horton-Hardgrave Hall, a 100,000-square-foot classroom facility, has created a business campus that directly benefits full-time and executive students, while its state-of-the-art audiovisual capabilities enhance streaming of in-class lectures for online and executive students.

About the Harbert College of Business

The Harbert College of Business at Auburn University is a nationally ranked hub of undergraduate, graduate and continuing business education that is inspiring the next generation of business leaders. Our world-class faculty deliver unparalleled academic rigor in the classroom, while our research-driven scholarship advances thought leadership and best practice in emerging business disciplines. Our alumni, friends, and corporate partners actively support and engage our faculty and students to integrate business theory with practical experience and instill the level of professional proficiency and personal integrity demanded by employers around the globe.