Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at Lake Erie College

Lake Erie's rehabilitation program comes with an estimated $27,000 in debt—right at the national median—while first-year earnings based on comparable Ohio programs sit at roughly $36,000. That 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio falls into manageable territory, suggesting graduates could reasonably handle their loan payments on an entry-level salary in this field. With a degree from a smaller private college, your child would be entering a stable helping profession, though the financial margins won't be generous in those early years.

The challenge here is that rehabilitation and therapeutic professions in Ohio show limited earnings growth across different programs. Even top performers like University of Toledo only reach about $37,500 in first-year earnings—just $1,500 more than the state median. This suggests the field itself operates within a fairly narrow salary band in Ohio, rather than Lake Erie underperforming specifically. Your child would be preparing for meaningful work, but not high-paying work, at least initially.

The real question is whether the private college experience at Lake Erie—smaller classes, personalized attention—justifies similar debt to what students take on at larger public universities in Ohio. If your child thrives in intimate learning environments and has strong professional goals within rehabilitation services, the investment makes sense. But if they're undecided or could access comparable training at a public institution with lower costs, that path would provide more financial breathing room while entering the same career field.