College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Hospitality Administration/Management degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 146 colleges (146 of 146 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$36,390

Graduates only, early career.$36,496 two years out.

Median federal debt

$21,938

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.60×

60% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Hospitality Administration/Management report early-career pay between $32,628 and $40,249 — a spread of $7,621 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $32,628 median $36,390 75th pct $40,249

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 6 colleges $18,186 $6,734 0.33×

Associate's 22 colleges $28,492 $19,494 0.69×

Bachelor's 146 colleges $36,390 $21,938 0.60×

Master's 12 colleges $51,148 $30,750 0.73×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

Cornell University NY $66,090 $13,086 debt

George Washington University DC $52,591 $19,250 debt

New York University NY $51,999 $17,905 debt

University of San Francisco CA $48,649 $19,000 debt

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA $47,314 $24,500 debt

Boston University MA $46,076 $23,250 debt

San Francisco State University CA $45,806 $14,125 debt

San Jose State University CA $45,617 —

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Lehigh Valley PA $45,612 $23,455 debt

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks PA $45,612 $23,455 debt

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA $45,612 $23,455 debt

Texas Tech University TX $45,573 $21,500 debt

Widener University PA $45,377 $20,500 debt

University of Massachusetts-Amherst MA $45,299 $21,500 debt

University of Delaware DE $45,097 $22,850 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Hospitality Administration/Management, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard