Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at National American University-Rapid City

National American University-Rapid City graduates this program carrying nearly twice the debt of typical South Dakota peers—$35,442 versus a state median of $16,500. That's the critical challenge here, because while starting salaries look reasonable at just over $37,000, earnings actually drop to $33,210 by year four. This downward trajectory, combined with debt that nearly equals a full year's starting salary, creates a concerning financial picture that other allied health programs in the state avoid.

The comparison to Lake Area Technical College is particularly instructive: their graduates earn similar amounts but carry half the debt burden, leaving them in a fundamentally stronger financial position from day one. Even though this program ranks in the 60th percentile for South Dakota earnings—meaning graduates earn slightly more than the state median—that advantage disappears when you factor in the debt load, which ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally (meaning 95% of similar programs saddle students with less debt).

For a medical assisting program serving a predominantly lower-income student body, the debt burden here is hard to justify. If your child is committed to allied health in South Dakota, Lake Area Technical College or Mitchell Technical College offer similar career outcomes with dramatically less financial risk. The earning potential in this field simply doesn't support borrowing $35,000 for an associate's degree.