Health and Medical Administrative Services at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College

Starting at $25,326 puts Elizabethtown's graduates nearly $6,000 behind the national median for this field—but that's actually middle-of-the-pack for Kentucky, where healthcare administrative roles simply pay less than in many other states. The real concern is that similar programs at Gateway Community and Technical College produce graduates earning nearly double, suggesting that either job placement support or employer networks differ dramatically across Kentucky's community college system.

The debt load tells a more encouraging story: at $26,263, it's higher than Kentucky's typical $18,000 for this program but still manageable given the 13% earnings growth by year four. By that point, graduates earn just over $28,000—not impressive nationally, but enough to service the debt if they're disciplined about repayment. For context, this puts the debt-to-earnings ratio just above 1:1, which is workable though not ideal.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these figures could swing significantly with just a few different outcomes, so treat them as directional rather than definitive. If your child is set on this field and needs to stay local, Elizabethtown can work—but they should understand that healthcare administration at the associate level in Kentucky means modest earnings. If they can commute to Louisville for Jefferson Community and Technical College instead, those graduates start $8,000 higher, which compounds over a career.