Health and Medical Administrative Services at Jefferson Community and Technical College

Jefferson Community and Technical College's health administration certificate outperforms nearly every other program of its kind in Kentucky—only Sullivan University places higher—while maintaining reasonable debt levels. At $36,397 in first-year earnings, graduates earn $10,000 more than the Kentucky median and $8,600 above the national average, placing this program in the 95th percentile nationally.

The $16,706 debt load is higher than typical for certificate programs, but the numbers still work: graduates owe less than half their first-year salary, and they're entering a stable field where those skills translate directly to employment. Compared to Kentucky's median debt of $14,850 for similar programs, you're paying about $2,000 more but earning roughly $10,000 more annually—a trade that pays off within months.

What makes this particularly notable is that it's a community college delivering outcomes that rival or exceed private institutions like MedQuest College, which produces similar earnings but typically at higher cost. For families looking at healthcare administration training in Kentucky, this represents one of the strongest returns available. The moderate sample size suggests consistent results across multiple cohorts, not a statistical fluke.