Health and Medical Administrative Services at National American University-Rapid City

National American University's health administration certificate starts strong with first-year earnings of $37,252—beating 95% of similar programs nationally and significantly outpacing the typical $27,783 median for these credentials. That's an impressive initial outcome that suggests solid employer connections in the Rapid City healthcare market.

The concern here is the price tag. At $28,143 in median debt, graduates carry nearly three times the national norm for this type of certificate program. While the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76 looks manageable in year one, earnings actually drop to $32,694 by year four—a 12% decline that's unusual for healthcare administration roles. This pattern, combined with high debt for a certificate (5th percentile nationally), means graduates face a longer payback period than the strong initial earnings might suggest. With 57% of students receiving Pell grants, these debt levels could be particularly challenging for the student population served.

For families, this comes down to timing: if your child can leverage those strong first-year earnings to aggressively pay down debt while living lean, this could work out. But if they're expecting earnings to climb over time like a typical degree program, the declining income trajectory makes this a riskier bet than the impressive national ranking initially suggests.