Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions at Northeastern State University

Northeastern State's clinical laboratory science program sits right at Oklahoma's median for this field, with graduates earning $62,912 their first year while carrying manageable debt of $21,330. That 0.34 debt-to-earnings ratio means students finish with debt equal to about one-third of their starting salary—well below the national median debt for these programs. For families watching budgets (42% of NSU students receive Pell grants), this combination of accessible admission and controlled debt makes a real difference.

The caveat here is sample size: with fewer than 30 graduates in the data, one or two outliers could skew these numbers significantly. The earnings also trail the national median by about $2,000, landing this program in the 39th percentile nationally. Still, among Oklahoma's five programs in this field, it ranks in the 60th percentile—suggesting it's competitive within the state even if it doesn't stand out nationally.

For an Oklahoma student planning to work in-state, where clinical lab scientists earn similar starting wages across programs, this represents a solid path into the field without excessive debt. The nearly open admission (99%) means accessibility, though the modest SAT average suggests this isn't drawing the most competitive students. It's a functional choice rather than an exceptional one, but functionality matters when you're keeping debt under $22,000.