Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science

Charles R Drew's graduates earn well above the national benchmark for allied health programs—beating the median by about $6,000 in the first year—but the California context tells a more complicated story. While this program ranks in the 76th percentile nationally, it falls to just the 40th percentile among California's 109 allied health programs. That gap matters if your child could access one of the state's community colleges offering the same credential: programs at Foothill College or Canada College produce graduates earning $100,000+, nearly double Drew's first-year outcomes.

The 44% earnings growth from year one to year four is encouraging, suggesting this credential opens doors to advancement. Debt levels are reasonable at $24,750—just above both state and national medians but still manageable with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.41. For context, graduates owe roughly five months of their first-year salary, which is favorable for an associate's degree.

The bottom line: If your child is choosing between Drew and California's top-performing community college allied health programs, the community colleges offer significantly better value. However, if Drew provides advantages in areas like clinical placement networks in LA's medical community or admission access (given its 39% acceptance rate), the program delivers solid earnings potential with reasonable debt. Just know you're paying a modest premium compared to what's achievable at public alternatives.