Health and Medical Administrative Services at Ithaca College

Taking on roughly $31,000 in debt for a healthcare administration bachelor's degree makes sense when similar programs across New York lead to first-year earnings around $47,000. That 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio falls comfortably within manageable territory—graduates should be able to handle their loan payments on an entry-level salary. With 589 schools nationwide offering this degree, the program represents a well-established pathway into healthcare management roles.

The catch is that these figures come from comparable New York programs, not Ithaca College's specific outcomes. The DOE suppresses data when graduate numbers are too small to report publicly, which means we're looking at what peer programs typically produce rather than this school's track record. That said, the estimates align closely with national benchmarks ($44,345 median earnings, $31,000 median debt), suggesting typical performance for this field. More concerning is the gap between these estimates and top-performing CUNY programs, where graduates earn $58,000-$64,000 in their first year—demonstrating that location and institutional network matter significantly in healthcare administration.

For parents weighing this investment: the fundamentals look solid based on state averages, but you're paying private school tuition at Ithaca without confirmed outcomes data. If your child has competitive CUNY options available, those deliver stronger returns with reported results. If Ithaca offers unique advantages—campus experience, smaller classes, specific industry connections—the estimated numbers don't raise red flags, but recognize you're making that choice without the full financial picture.