Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at National American University-Rapid City

With earnings $15,000 below South Dakota's median for allied health programs and $13,000 below the national average, National American University-Rapid City's offering ranks near the bottom both statewide (25th percentile) and nationally (5th percentile). The first-year earnings of $41,564 coupled with $33,022 in debt—substantially higher than the state median of $20,790—creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 that will strain most graduates' budgets. For context, Southeast Technical College's allied health graduates earn $73,361, nearly double what NAU-Rapid City students make.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift with more data, but the pattern is troubling enough to warrant serious alternatives. South Dakota has eight programs in this field, and most deliver significantly better outcomes. Even accounting for the 57% Pell Grant rate suggesting NAU-Rapid City serves lower-income students who may face additional barriers, the earnings gap is too large to ignore.

Before committing to this program, your child should explore South Dakota's technical colleges, where allied health graduates consistently earn $15,000-$30,000 more annually with less debt. That earnings difference compounds to hundreds of thousands of dollars over a career—money that could go toward homeownership, retirement, or future education rather than loan payments.