Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at National Polytechnic College

National Polytechnic College's allied health program starts graduates at just $34,613—nearly $28,000 below California's median for this field and $20,000 below the national average. Among California's 109 programs, this ranks in the bottom 10th percentile. To put that in perspective, graduates from comparable community colleges like Foothill or American River College are earning three times as much in their first year. The debt load of $19,402 isn't unusually high by itself, but against these weak earnings, it creates a 0.56 debt-to-earnings ratio that signals financial strain.

The real concern here is what these allied health graduates are actually doing with their degrees. Successful programs in this field—which includes roles like radiologic technologists, respiratory therapists, and surgical technicians—typically place students into stable, middle-income healthcare positions. These bottom-decile outcomes suggest either inadequate clinical preparation, limited employer connections, or credentials that don't translate to the better-paying positions California's healthcare market offers.

For a family considering this program, the math is straightforward: you're paying private college prices (half of students need Pell grants to afford it) for outcomes that trail far behind what free or low-cost community colleges deliver. Unless there are compelling personal circumstances like scheduling flexibility, California's community college system offers dramatically better returns in this same field.