Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Herzing University-Atlanta

At just over $30,000 in first-year earnings, Herzing-Atlanta's medical assisting program performs solidly—landing in the 70th percentile nationally and 60th percentile in Georgia. The real issue is the price tag. At $24,721 in median debt, graduates borrow more than 2.5 times what students at other Georgia programs typically take on (state median: $10,916). This puts Herzing among the most expensive options in a field where several Georgia technical colleges deliver comparable or better outcomes with dramatically less debt. Southern Crescent Tech, for instance, gets graduates to $33,676 with far lower borrowing.

The flat earnings trajectory—essentially no growth from year one to year four—means graduates won't quickly outgrow that debt burden. With nearly 70% of Herzing-Atlanta students receiving Pell grants, this debt load hits a population that can least afford it. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 isn't catastrophic, but it's concerning when nearby technical colleges offer similar training at a fraction of the cost.

If your child is set on this field, Georgia's technical college system offers a much clearer path to affordability. Herzing's slightly higher admission selectivity and different campus environment might appeal to some families, but the financial premium is steep for outcomes that don't justify it.