Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at Careers Unlimited

Careers Unlimited's dental support program produces a troubling pattern: graduates earn $52,423 in their first year but see that drop to $38,405 by year four—a 27% decline that's unusual for any bachelor's program. While the school performs at the 60th percentile among Utah's four dental support programs, that's cold comfort when you're falling $10,000 behind Utah Tech graduates by year four and sitting in the 15th percentile nationally. The debt load of $32,795 is nearly double the Utah median for this field and well above what competitors charge.

The mathematics work initially—a 0.63 debt-to-earnings ratio at graduation looks manageable. But as earnings slide toward $38,000, that debt burden becomes harder to justify, especially when the national median for dental support bachelor's programs is $60,170. Something about this program's employment outcomes diverges sharply from national norms. The 53% Pell grant rate indicates the school serves many students without family financial cushions, making that earnings decline particularly concerning.

If your child is set on dental support services in Utah, Utah Tech delivers 35% higher four-year earnings for likely similar or lower debt. This program's value proposition depends entirely on circumstances we can't see in the data—perhaps graduates are working part-time by choice, or the curriculum leads to a different career path than typical dental support roles. Without that explanation, the declining earnings trajectory makes this a risky investment.