Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at Carroll College

The small sample size here demands caution, but these numbers tell a troubling story regardless: graduates earning $22,319 one year out represents the 5th percentile nationally for rehabilitation programs. To put that in perspective, the typical graduate in this field nationwide earns $35,966—a difference of over $13,000 annually. The 60th percentile ranking within Montana sounds better until you realize there are only three schools offering this program in the state, making it essentially meaningless for comparison purposes.

The debt load of $24,250 isn't catastrophic on its own, but paired with first-year earnings barely above $22,000, graduates face immediate financial pressure. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.09 means they owe more than a full year's salary right out of the gate. For rehabilitation professions—fields where earnings typically grow steadily as practitioners gain experience—starting this far below national norms raises questions about local job markets, program connections, or whether graduates are finding work in their field at all.

If your student is committed to this field, the obvious question is whether they can attend a program with better outcomes. With 273 schools offering rehabilitation programs nationally, and most producing significantly stronger earnings, Carroll's program appears to be an outlier on the wrong end of the spectrum. Unless there are compelling personal reasons to stay in Helena, this investment looks questionable.