Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at Beal University

A first-year salary around $35,000—typical for Health Sciences bachelor's programs nationally—becomes problematic when paired with an estimated debt load of $57,500. That's more than double what graduates from similar programs in Maine typically carry ($27,000) and creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.63. In practical terms, we're looking at annual loan payments that could consume 15-20% of take-home pay for a decade.

The disconnect here is striking. Health Sciences programs at other Maine schools produce comparable earnings with far less debt—Husson graduates start at $40,000, University of New England at $30,000, but both report debt levels near the state median. With 64% of Beal students receiving Pell grants, this debt burden hits students who can least afford it. The small graduate sample that triggered these estimates (too few for the DOE to publish actual outcomes) raises its own questions about program enrollment and completion.

For families considering this investment, the math is sobering: even if actual outcomes prove better than these peer-based estimates suggest, you'd need significantly higher earnings or lower debt to justify choosing this program over Maine alternatives. Before committing, get concrete numbers from the school on actual graduate outcomes and compare total program costs carefully against state competitors.