Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at Illinois State University

Something unusual happens between year one and year four for this program. Similar allied health programs in Illinois suggest first-year earnings around $69,000, which would put graduates comfortably above the national median. Yet by year four, this program's actual reported earnings drop to $46,127—a significant decline that's hard to explain through normal career trajectories. This could reflect graduates shifting from clinical roles into lower-paying positions, pursuing additional education, or working reduced hours, but without more complete data, it's difficult to know what's driving this pattern.

The $25,000 in debt sits slightly below both state and national medians for this field, which is reassuring. Against that estimated first-year figure of $69,000, the debt burden appears manageable. But that year-four number of $46,127 changes the calculus—if that's the more representative outcome, students are graduating with debt that's more than half their annual income several years into their careers.

The reality is that you're making a decision with incomplete information here. Illinois State's program may perform exactly like its peers (Rush University's similar program hits $75,000 in year one), or it may follow that concerning downward trajectory the actual data suggests. Before committing, you need to understand why this program's year-four earnings are so much lower than expected—whether that reflects the nature of the careers students pursue or something specific about how this program prepares graduates.