Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Carrington College-Las Vegas

Carrington College's medical assisting program delivers something unusual: graduates earning $53,596 their first year out—$5,000 above Nevada's median and nearly $17,000 above the national average. This places it in the 95th percentile nationally, though only the 60th percentile within Nevada, where medical assisting salaries run notably higher than most states. The premium over Pima Medical Institute's nearby program ($9,000 more in starting earnings) suggests Carrington may have stronger employer pipelines or better clinical placement opportunities in Las Vegas's healthcare market.

The trade-off comes at graduation: $32,458 in debt means a 0.61 debt-to-earnings ratio, which is manageable but above what you'd typically want to see for a two-year program. That debt level is higher than 95% of medical assisting programs nationally, though it's closer to Nevada's median ($29,875). With 61% of students receiving Pell grants, many families here are financing this education through loans rather than savings.

The practical calculation: graduates should be able to manage loan payments on a $53,000 salary, and the 4% earnings growth to $55,565 by year four shows steady, if modest, income progression. If your child can secure employment at Carrington's typical salary level—which the robust data suggests is realistic—the higher debt becomes a worthwhile investment for above-average earning potential in this field.