Somatic Bodywork at Fortis Institute-Wayne

The numbers here raise immediate red flags: graduates earning just $10,477 in their first year after completing this program places Fortis Institute-Wayne in the bottom 10% both nationally and among New Jersey's 13 somatic bodywork programs. That's roughly half what the typical New Jersey graduate in this field earns ($18,889), and just 36% of what Center for the Healing Arts graduates make in the same state. Even with 59% earnings growth over four years, graduates still reach only $16,626—well below where most programs start.

The debt load of $7,917 might seem manageable in isolation, but paired with first-year earnings barely above minimum wage, it creates a challenging financial picture. With 73% of students receiving Pell grants, most families here are already operating on tight budgets and can't afford a credential that leads to poverty-level wages. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means individual circumstances could be skewing these results, but when a program ranks in the bottom 10% statewide, that pattern is hard to ignore.

For families in New Jersey, other massage therapy programs demonstrate significantly better outcomes at similar price points. Before committing here, parents should demand clearer answers about why graduates earn half the state median—whether it's limited job placement support, part-time employment patterns, or something else entirely.