Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Mid-America College of Funeral Service

Mid-America's funeral service program generates concerning first-year earnings of just $35,564—nearly $10,000 below the national median and ranking in the bottom 5% of all funeral service programs nationwide. While the $20,437 debt load is manageable in absolute terms (keeping the debt-to-earnings ratio at a reasonable 0.57), graduates are starting well behind their peers. Even within Indiana's limited market of three programs, this one falls short of the state median of $37,506, with Vincennes University graduates earning $9,000 more in their first year.

The program serves a predominantly working-class student body (56% receive Pell grants), making these below-market outcomes particularly problematic. Funeral service is a stable, recession-resistant field with clear career paths, but this program isn't positioning graduates to capture the industry's earning potential. When a specialized vocational degree underperforms both state and national benchmarks this dramatically, it raises questions about placement networks, training quality, or employer relationships.

For families considering this program, the gap between cost and outcomes is real. Your child would graduate with reasonable debt but earning 20% less than typical funeral service graduates nationally. Unless there are compelling geographic or personal reasons to choose Mid-America, Vincennes offers substantially better earnings potential for similar debt.