Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Herzing University-Akron

Herzing University-Akron's medical assisting program carries a fundamental problem: it costs nearly three times what comparable Ohio programs charge. While graduates earn $30,106 their first year—a respectable figure that beats the state median by $3,800—they're paying $24,721 for that outcome when the typical Ohio program charges just $9,550. That's $15,000 in extra debt for essentially the same credential.

The earnings picture offers little to justify this premium. First-year income essentially flatlines over the next four years, and even Ohio's community colleges produce stronger outcomes—Sinclair graduates earn $43,380 just a year out, more than 40% higher than Herzing's figures. Among Ohio's 83 medical assisting programs, Herzing ranks around the 60th percentile for earnings but charges debt at the 5th percentile (meaning 95% of programs cost less). This mismatch matters because medical assistants typically start near their career earnings ceiling, making that initial debt load harder to overcome.

For a family considering this program, the math is straightforward: you can get similar or better training elsewhere in Ohio for $10,000-$15,000 less. Unless Herzing offers something uniquely valuable—like guaranteed job placement or scheduling flexibility that's genuinely impossible to find elsewhere—that debt premium will take years to justify on a medical assistant's salary.