---
title: Is a Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians degree worth the debt?
cip: 0183
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Certificate**, across **11** colleges (11 of 11 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $22,317 ($22,654 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $7,977 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.36× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $22,317–$22,317 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $22,317 | $7,977 | 0.36× | 11 | 11/11 |

## Where a Certificate in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pima Medical Institute-Tucson (AZ) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Seattle (WA) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Denver (CO) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Chula Vista (CA) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Colorado Springs (CO) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Las Vegas (NV) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Renton (WA) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-East Valley (AZ) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Houston (TX) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-San Marcos (CA) | $22,317 | $7,977 |
| Pima Medical Institute-San Antonio (TX) | $22,317 | $7,977 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/veterinary-animal-health-technologies-technicians.jsonld` · `/education/fields/veterinary-animal-health-technologies-technicians.json`