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

Is a Health/Medical Preparatory Programs degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 37 colleges (37 of 37 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$27,550

Graduates only, early career.$28,538 two years out.

Median federal debt

$23,250

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.87×

87% 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 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs report early-career pay between $22,864 and $30,149 — a spread of $7,285 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $22,864 median $27,550 75th pct $30,149

By degree level

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

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 3 colleges $21,993 $6,472 0.39×

Associate's 15 colleges $22,061 $9,641 0.43×

Bachelor's 37 colleges $27,550 $23,250 0.87×

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.

Pfeiffer University NC $59,369 —

Manchester University IN $38,516 $24,250 debt

Kent State University at Ashtabula OH $33,320 $26,000 debt

Kent State University at Kent OH $33,320 $26,000 debt

Drexel University PA $32,968 $23,000 debt

Weber State University UT $32,778 —

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences MA $32,005 $27,000 debt

Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ $30,934 $22,935 debt

Arizona State University Digital Immersion AZ $30,934 $22,935 debt

Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania PA $30,149 $26,000 debt

Ball State University IN $29,287 $23,250 debt

University of South Alabama AL $28,875 $28,000 debt

Aurora University IL $28,843 $19,050 debt

Saginaw Valley State University MI $28,647 $30,625 debt

Grand Valley State University MI $28,629 $25,017 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Health/Medical Preparatory Programs, 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