Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at Augsburg University

A $27,000 debt load for first-year earnings around $36,000 creates a manageable but tight financial picture for rehabilitation professionals. Based on similar programs nationally, graduates typically carry three-quarters of their first-year salary in debt—not crushing, but enough to meaningfully constrain early-career choices about housing, transportation, and savings. With over half of Augsburg's students receiving Pell grants, many families are already operating on thin margins where even moderate debt matters.

The rehabilitation field itself sits in an awkward middle ground: it's helping work that requires a bachelor's degree but doesn't immediately command premium pay. Peer programs across the country suggest first-year earnings in the mid-$30,000s, which is livable but leaves little cushion after standard loan payments of roughly $300 monthly. Whether this makes sense depends heavily on whether your child plans to pursue graduate credentials (physical therapy, occupational therapy, and similar specializations typically require additional degrees) or enter the workforce directly in roles like rehabilitation aide or case coordinator.

The key uncertainty here is that we're estimating both sides of the equation from similar programs elsewhere, since Augsburg's specific graduate outcomes aren't available. For a family weighing this investment, the path after the bachelor's degree matters enormously—if this is a stepping stone to a graduate program with stronger earnings, the debt is manageable preparation; if this is the terminal credential, those first few working years will require careful budgeting.