Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at Madonna University

A $27,000 debt load against $35,000 in first-year earnings puts Madonna's health sciences bachelor's roughly at national norms—but that's where the reassurance ends. Similar programs in Michigan typically produce significantly higher first-year earnings of nearly $40,000, and graduates from comparable Michigan programs usually carry about $2,300 less debt. The gap matters: that extra $4,300 in annual income would make monthly loan payments considerably easier to manage.

What's harder to pin down is whether Madonna's program prepares students for the higher-earning roles common in Michigan's health sector, or whether graduates are entering positions at the lower end of the allied health spectrum. The national benchmark this estimate draws from includes everything from health information technicians to clinical coordinators—roles with vastly different trajectories. Without specific outcomes data from this program, you're essentially betting on which career paths Madonna's curriculum and clinical partnerships actually lead to.

The practical concern is straightforward: can your child cover a $300 monthly loan payment (standard 10-year repayment) on a $2,900 monthly paycheck? Technically, yes. Comfortably? Probably not in their first year. Before committing, press the admissions office for specifics about where recent graduates actually landed jobs and what they're earning—not aspirational outcomes, but real placement data from the last two graduating classes.