Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at Arkansas State University

A $14,000 debt load for a certificate that could lead to $40,000 in first-year earnings represents manageable borrowing—but these figures come from similar health science programs across Arkansas, not from tracking A-State's actual graduates in this certificate. With only five comparable programs reporting earnings data in the state, there's considerable uncertainty about what students will actually earn after completing this particular credential.

The estimated numbers do suggest reasonable value compared to what's typical nationally. Similar certificate programs nationwide produce median earnings around $33,000, so the Arkansas benchmark of roughly $40,000 would place this solidly above average. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.35 means graduates would theoretically owe about a third of their first-year salary—workable if those earnings materialize. However, the wide range among Arkansas programs is striking: comparable certificates produce outcomes from $28,000 to over $52,000, and there's no reliable way to predict where A-State falls within that spectrum.

For parents weighing this investment, the challenge is that certificate programs vary dramatically in what they prepare students to do. The most successful Arkansas programs appear to lead to specific healthcare roles with strong labor demand, while lower-earning certificates may be stepping stones rather than endpoints. Before committing, you'll need to confirm exactly what credential this certificate provides, whether it leads to licensure or certification in a particular field, and what local employers actually hire for—information that matters more than these estimated averages.