Human Services at Lindsey Wilson College

Lindsey Wilson's human services program sits squarely in the middle of Kentucky options but significantly underperforms the national field, with first-year earnings of $29,318 placing it in just the 5th percentile nationally. That's a meaningful gap—graduates here earn about $7,300 less than the national median for human services majors. While the 40th percentile ranking within Kentucky sounds more respectable, keep in mind there are only three programs in the state, and University of the Cumberlands graduates start $3,600 higher. Half of Lindsey Wilson's students receive Pell grants, suggesting many come from families where every dollar counts.

The debt picture offers some relief: at $22,774, borrowers here carry about $9,000 less than the national median for human services programs, keeping the debt-to-earnings ratio under 0.80. Earnings do grow 17% by year four, reaching $34,370, but that still trails what most human services graduates earn right out of school elsewhere. For students committed to staying in Kentucky and working in human services, this program won't bury them in debt, but they're essentially trading lower earnings for lower debt—and the earnings disadvantage is steeper than the debt advantage.

If your child is considering this path, understand they'll likely need to budget carefully in those early years, even with manageable debt payments. The field itself doesn't pay exceptionally well anywhere, but this particular program starts graduates behind where most of their peers nationally begin.