Health and Medical Administrative Services at Beckfield College-Florence

The numbers here tell a troubling story: graduates leave with $36,225 in debt but earn just $30,187 their first year out—meaning they'd need to dedicate their entire pre-tax income for more than a year just to cover what they borrowed. That debt load places this program in the bottom 5% nationally for affordability, despite serving a predominantly lower-income student body (57% receive Pell grants). While graduates do earn slightly more than Kentucky's median for this degree ($25,544), that premium barely moves the needle when you're facing debt this high.

The comparison to Kentucky's community and technical colleges is stark. Gateway Community grads earn $48,917—more than 60% higher—while Jefferson Community grads earn $36,541, and both likely carry far less debt than Beckfield's figure. Even mid-tier options like Somerset and Hazard deliver comparable or better earnings with debt closer to Kentucky's $18,018 median. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means individual circumstances could skew these figures, but the pattern is concerning enough to warrant serious scrutiny.

For families considering this program, the core question is simple: can you justify taking on $18,000 more debt than the Kentucky average for a credential that earns less than what many community college graduates make? Unless Beckfield offers specific advantages—scheduling flexibility, job placement networks—that dramatically change your situation, Kentucky's public colleges appear to deliver substantially better value for this career path.