Legal Support Services at Herzing University-Brookfield

Herzing-Brookfield's Legal Support Services graduates start at nearly $40,000—impressive given the national median sits at $34,421—but that initial advantage doesn't last. By year four, earnings drop to $36,486, a 9% decline that's unusual for career-focused associate's programs. The $31,441 debt load ranks in the bottom 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of similar programs leave students with less debt), creating a first-year debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 that grows more concerning as wages fall.

Within Wisconsin's small landscape of legal support programs, this ranks middle-of-the-pack at the 60th percentile—identical to Herzing's Madison and Kenosha campuses in starting salary, but carrying significantly more debt than you'd typically see for paralegal training. The declining earnings pattern suggests graduates may be hitting a ceiling quickly or transitioning into different roles.

The combination of higher-than-typical debt and backward earnings trajectory makes this a questionable investment, even with the strong initial placement. With 60% of students receiving Pell grants, many families here are taking on substantial debt for credentials that appear to lose market value. The sample size is small (under 30 graduates), so individual circumstances vary widely, but unless your child has connections to specific legal employers committed to career advancement, exploring lower-debt alternatives—even at slightly lower starting salaries—would likely yield better long-term outcomes.