ROI Major

Finance and Financial Management Services at Fayetteville State University

NC · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.08

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Finance and Financial Management Services degree from Fayetteville State University earn a median salary of $46,233 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $47,273. The degree typically pays for itself in 14.3 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

$37,173

Typical Career

$46,233

Top Performers

$62,446

Estimated break-even: 14.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$308

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,853. Most students can comfortably afford about a $308 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in North Carolina buys what costs $0.98 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 26.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 24.1%
Public Administration 13.6%

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

$47,273

Nominal: $46,233 in North Carolina (COL 97.8% of national avg) · 2.2% 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).

14.3 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 $27,179 $35,872 $49,741
5 Years After Graduation $37,173 $46,233 $62,446
10 Years After Graduation $43,240 $56,378 $71,728

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 $46,233 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NC, which has a cost-of-living index of 97.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $46,233 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9780) = $47,273 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 Fayetteville State University experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $35,872, increasing to $46,233 after five years, and reaching $56,378 after a decade. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $47,273.01, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to the broader market despite a slightly lower cost of living in North Carolina.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Educational Services (26.0%), Health Care & Social Assistance (24.1%), and Public Administration (13.6%). Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 14.3 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field appears favorable. This suggests that while the initial financial benefits may take time to materialize, the long-term career prospects and earning potential are promising for graduates.

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 Fayetteville State University 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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