Health Professions & Nursing
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs: is it worth it?
DegreeReturn Rating — Weak value
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
Strong return
+$71,594 over 10 years
National picture across 82 college programs, at a typical net price.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
What Health/Medical Preparatory Programs pays
$35,869
Median earnings (1 yr) as of 2024
$60,290
Median earnings (5 yr) as of 2024
$25,538
Typical debt as of 2024
82
Colleges offering it
Is Health/Medical Preparatory Programs worth it? Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly. Earnings vary a lot by college, so where you study matters — see the best-ROI colleges for this major below.
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs vs similar majors
How Health/Medical Preparatory Programs stacks up against the closest fields in Health Professions & Nursing on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs Health Professions & Nursing · this major | Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences | Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | Medicine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 45 D | 80 A | 80 A | 80 A |
| ROI verdict | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return | Strong return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $60,290 | $226,546 | $214,065 | $162,555 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $35,869 | $212,530 | $166,304 | $65,892 |
| ROI vs cost | +88% | +1,129% | +1,565% | +708% |
| Typical debt | $25,538 | $207,643 | $81,076 | $201,913 |
| Colleges offering it | 82 | 33 | 6 | 155 |
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alpena Community College Alpena, MI | Certificate | $65,481 | — | +6,069% | Strong return |
| 2 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX | Certificate | $64,185 | — | +2,902% | Strong return |
| 3 | Connors State College Warner, OK | Certificate | $73,844 | — | +2,728% | Strong return |
| 4 | Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, CA | Certificate | $98,527 | $15,875 | +1,868% | Strong return |
| 5 | University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage, AK | Certificate | $85,944 | $19,952 | +1,714% | Strong return |
| 6 | Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA | Certificate | $79,742 | — | +1,464% | Strong return |
| 7 | Vernon College Vernon, TX | Certificate | $54,372 | — | +1,364% | Strong return |
| 8 | Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR | Associate's | $103,024 | $22,731 | +1,208% | Strong return |
| 9 | Oregon State University Corvallis, OR | Associate's | $103,024 | $22,731 | +1,122% | Strong return |
| 10 | Tulsa Community College Tulsa, OK | Certificate | $58,516 | $15,730 | +1,024% | Strong return |
| 11 | Northeast Community College Norfolk, NE | Certificate | $58,150 | $9,250 | +1,004% | Strong return |
| 12 | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Miami, OK | Certificate | $62,558 | $17,304 | +915% | Strong return |
| 13 | Dominican University River Forest, IL | Associate's | $65,844 | — | +787% | Strong return |
| 14 | Lee University Cleveland, TN | Associate's | $76,759 | — | +741% | Strong return |
| 15 | El Camino Community College District Torrance, CA | Certificate | $49,661 | — | +681% | Strong return |
| 16 | The University of Montana Missoula, MT | Associate's | $71,053 | — | +676% | Strong return |
| 17 | Miami University-Middletown Middletown, OH | Associate's | $66,995 | $23,250 | +631% | Strong return |
| 18 | Miami University-Hamilton Hamilton, OH | Associate's | $66,995 | $23,250 | +609% | Strong return |
| 19 | Ball State University Muncie, IN | Associate's | $71,579 | $23,250 | +593% | Strong return |
| 20 | Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA | Associate's | $65,914 | — | +585% | Strong return |
| 21 | Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA | Associate's | $72,318 | $26,000 | +568% | Strong return |
| 22 | St Philip's College San Antonio, TX | Certificate | $47,708 | — | +534% | Strong return |
| 23 | Harding University Searcy, AR | Doctoral | $143,690 | $221,398 | +483% | Strong return |
| 24 | Campbell University Buies Creek, NC | Associate's | $71,748 | — | +446% | Strong return |
| 25 | University of Iowa Iowa City, IA | Associate's | $69,520 | — | +444% | Strong return |
Related majors
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences $226,546Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies $214,065Medicine $162,555Dentistry $161,322Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration $134,513Optometry $119,091Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities $98,858Medical Illustration and Informatics $94,448
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.