Legal Support Services at Herzing University-Madison

Herzing University-Madison's paralegal program starts strong with first-year earnings around $40,000—outperforming 75% of similar programs nationwide. However, the earnings trajectory tells a more complicated story: graduates see incomes slip to $36,486 by year four, an unusual 9% decline in a field where steady legal employment typically provides income stability. With debt at $31,441, you're looking at roughly 10 months of first-year salary to repay, which is manageable but not exceptional given that this is a two-year degree.

The state comparison deserves attention here. While this program hits Wisconsin's median earnings for legal support, that's partly because Herzing operates multiple Wisconsin campuses with identical outcomes—the state benchmarks essentially reflect Herzing's own performance. More telling: competing programs like Bryant & Stratton show lower earnings but likely different debt levels, and the earnings decline over four years suggests either graduates moving to part-time work or facing challenges with career advancement.

Given the small cohort size (under 30 graduates), these numbers could swing dramatically year to year. The debt burden isn't crushing, but the backward earnings trend means your child would need to secure—and retain—a full-time legal assistant position from the start to make this investment pay off reliably.