Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at American College of Healthcare and Technology

Earning just $21,250 a year after graduation, American College of Healthcare's medical assisting program lands its graduates well below where they need to be—trailing both the California state median by $5,600 and the national median by nearly $6,000. At the 5th percentile nationally, this program ranks among the weakest in the country for this field. Even within California's 185 programs, it only reaches the 25th percentile, with top in-state alternatives like Empire College and Bay Area Medical Academy delivering earnings nearly double what graduates here see.

The modest $9,500 debt load offers some consolation—it matches both state and national medians, keeping the debt-to-earnings ratio manageable at 0.45. Earnings do improve to $25,179 by year four (a 19% gain), but that's still barely enough to escape poverty wages for a single person. The 88% Pell grant rate tells you this program serves students who can least afford to gamble on weak outcomes.

For parents, this is straightforward: medical assisting can be a solid career, but not through this program. The data shows graduates starting nearly $15,000 behind peers at better California schools, a gap that compounds over time. With nearly 200 options in California alone, your child deserves a program that doesn't leave them at the bottom 5% nationally.