---
title: Valparaiso University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Valparaiso, IN
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $63,191 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $42,013 – $89,612 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $22,133 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $8,751 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 70% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $58,437 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 79% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.35× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $35,191 | derived |

**70% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $22,133 (≈ 35% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $19,187 to $94,025 across 26 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | First Professional Degree | $94,025 | $62,281 |
| Computer Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $72,959 | $27,000 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $70,690 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $67,015 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $65,962 | not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Master's Degree | $65,063 | $29,055 |
| Civil Engineering. | Bachelor's Degree | $63,617 | $27,000 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $61,126 | $25,250 |
| Accounting and Related Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $58,099 | $26,000 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $50,272 | $26,613 |
| International Business. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,033 | not reported |
| Marketing. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,691 | $27,000 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology. | Master's Degree | $45,183 | $63,264 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $44,544 | $25,350 |
| Law. | First Professional Degree | $42,790 | $89,751 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $41,604 | $26,755 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,917 | $26,437 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,818 | $27,000 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,926 | $26,900 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,303 | $26,348 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,523 | $27,000 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,259 | $27,000 |
| Criminology. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,415 | $27,000 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,179 | $27,000 |
| Chemistry. | Bachelor's Degree | $24,548 | $27,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,187 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Valparaiso University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?152600

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/valparaiso-university-in.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`