Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians at Eastern Iowa Community College District

With earnings of just $31,017 one year out, Eastern Iowa Community College's vet tech program lands in the bottom 12th percentile nationally—trailing the national median by $5,000 and falling short of Iowa's median by nearly $4,000. Even within Iowa, where you'd hope for in-state affordability advantages, this program sits at the 40th percentile, while Des Moines Area Community College's graduates earn $8,000 more annually. That's a significant gap when you're starting from an already modest salary base in veterinary technology.

The program does keep debt relatively manageable at $11,484, though that figure still sits in the 95th percentile nationally (meaning only 5% of vet tech programs carry higher debt relative to their benchmarks). The 0.37 debt-to-earnings ratio isn't alarming on its own, but lower starting pay means less room in the budget for loan payments alongside living expenses.

The small sample size here—fewer than 30 graduates—means these numbers could shift considerably in either direction. However, if your child is set on veterinary technology in Iowa, the earning differential between programs is substantial enough to warrant serious consideration of alternatives. Des Moines Area Community College offers the same credential with a track record of significantly stronger early-career outcomes.