Health and Medical Administrative Services at Fortis College

The small sample size here demands caution, but the pattern is troubling: graduates earn roughly the state median initially, then see their income drop 19% by year four to just $22,146. That backward trajectory suggests limited career advancement or retention in healthcare administration roles, which should prompt serious questions about job placement quality and whether graduates are actually landing positions that use their training. The $9,500 debt load is manageable in isolation, but not when paired with declining wages that fall well below what a full-time worker needs to comfortably service even modest debt.

Within Alabama, this program sits at the 60th percentile—slightly above the state median but trailing Herzing University-Birmingham's outcomes by about $5,700 at the four-year mark. With 79% of students receiving Pell grants, most families here can't afford a credential that leads to shrinking paychecks. The healthcare administration field typically offers stable, growing incomes, so this downward earnings slope raises red flags about either the local job market or how well this certificate translates to sustainable employment.

Unless you have specific knowledge that recent graduates are finding better opportunities than this data suggests, the combination of earnings decline and uncertain sample reliability makes this a risky investment for students who could potentially find more stable outcomes at Herzing or even through direct entry into medical office work.