Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions at Fortis Institute-Cookeville

The earnings trajectory here should catch your attention: similar Tennessee programs suggest first-year earnings around $43,700, but by year four, actual reported earnings at this program drop to $38,197. That backward slide is unusual for healthcare credentials and raises questions about career progression or whether graduates are staying in lab work at all.

With an estimated $29,000 in debt—higher than the national median for this credential—you're looking at about eight months of first-year earnings to cover what students typically borrow. That's manageable on paper, but only if those initial earnings hold. The fact that income actually declines suggests graduates may be switching to lower-paying roles, working part-time, or facing a tougher local job market than the statewide figures imply. For comparison, Columbia State Community College's lab science graduates report first-year earnings above $48,000, showing that Tennessee programs vary significantly in outcomes.

With nearly three-quarters of students here receiving Pell grants, the debt burden matters even more. If your child pursues this program, ensure they understand the local lab job market in Cookeville specifically—not just statewide trends—and have a backup plan if the expected earnings don't materialize. The suppressed data means we're working with informed guesses rather than this school's actual track record.