Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at North Central College

A $27,000 debt load for first-year earnings around $35,000 looks manageable on paper—the 0.78 debt-to-earnings ratio sits comfortably below the 1.0 threshold that signals trouble. But here's the catch: both figures are estimates drawn from five similar programs across Illinois, not actual outcomes from North Central's graduates. The Department of Education suppresses data when graduate samples are too small, which means we're essentially looking at what comparable health sciences programs in the state typically produce rather than what North Central's specific curriculum and network deliver.

What we do know is that these estimated earnings align almost exactly with both state and national medians for health sciences bachelor's programs, suggesting neither an advantage nor a disadvantage compared to peer schools. The estimated debt also tracks close to typical borrowing levels. Among Illinois programs with reported data, outcomes range from nearly $30,000 at UIC to over $40,000 at North Park—a $10,000 spread that matters significantly when you're servicing loans on an entry-level salary.

The practical challenge here is uncertainty. If your child is considering this program, push the school for concrete placement data: where do graduates actually land, and what positions justify a four-year degree investment? Health sciences is a broad umbrella that can lead to everything from medical device sales to public health coordination, and starting salaries vary accordingly. Without knowing whether North Central's program skews toward higher-paying tracks, you're betting on state averages—which might be fine, but isn't the same as knowing what this specific program delivers.