Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at Marian University

A $27,000 debt load sounds manageable until you consider what similar health services programs in Indiana actually produce: first-year earnings around $36,400. That 0.74 debt-to-earnings ratio places this squarely in moderate-burden territory—not alarming, but not comfortable either. For comparison, the top-performing programs at Ball State and Purdue Global push graduates past $41,000 in year one, making that same debt load considerably easier to manage.

The challenge with Marian's program is that peer data suggests typical outcomes right at the state median, while competitors are pulling ahead by $5,000-$8,000 annually. In a field where many students are entering clinical or administrative roles with similar baseline credentials, that earnings gap compounds quickly over a career. The debt itself aligns with both state and national norms for health services bachelor's degrees, so the issue isn't excessive borrowing—it's whether the program delivers the competitive advantage needed to justify it.

Given the 95% admission rate and relatively low Pell enrollment, families should verify what specific employment pathways this degree opens. Health services is broad enough to include everything from healthcare administration to clinical coordination, and not all tracks produce equivalent returns. Press the school for placement data in specific roles and actual starting salaries for recent graduates before committing, since the estimated figures here only tell you what's typical across Indiana—not what Marian specifically delivers.