Health and Medical Administrative Services at Arizona College-Mesa

The shrinking earnings here tell a troubling story. Graduates start at $35,519—beating both national and Arizona medians—but by year four, that drops to $27,700. That's a 22% decline when most careers should be building momentum. With the small sample size (under 30 graduates tracked), this pattern could reflect just a handful of people switching to part-time work or leaving the field entirely, but it's still a red flag worth investigating.

The debt load of $19,099 is actually quite manageable compared to other Arizona programs in this field, and the initial debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54 suggests reasonable affordability. The school serves a predominantly low-income population (84% Pell recipients), which makes that relatively modest debt burden more significant. However, those numbers look much worse once earnings drop below $28,000—you'd be paying off education debt on what's essentially a retail management salary.

Compare this to Pima Community College, where graduates earn $39,413 and presumably maintain steadier career trajectories. Before committing here, demand more information from Arizona College-Mesa about why earnings decline so sharply. Are graduates moving into different roles? Leaving healthcare administration? Without answers to those questions, this program carries too much uncertainty, especially when nearby community colleges offer similar training with better outcomes and lower costs.