Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at NUC University

NUC University's Allied Health certificate produces earnings that would shock most mainland parents—recent graduates earn just $10,408 in their first year, roughly $5 per hour if working full-time. Yet within Puerto Rico's economic reality, this program sits squarely in the middle, ranking at the 40th percentile among the island's 18 Allied Health certificate programs. The earnings trajectory shows genuine promise, jumping 57% to $16,307 by year four, though this still represents barely a third of what similar mainland programs deliver.

The debt picture adds another layer of concern. At $8,375, graduates carry the highest debt relative to this program nationally (95th percentile), creating an uncomfortable 0.80 debt-to-earnings ratio in year one. While that ratio improves as earnings grow, students are borrowing significantly more than Puerto Rico's program median of $6,875 for outcomes that track right at the island's average. With 71% of students receiving Pell grants, most families here are already financially stretched.

For mainland families, this program makes little sense—similar certificates elsewhere start graduates at $45,000+. For Puerto Rican families committed to staying on the island, understand that this is an average-performing program in a low-wage market, burdened by above-average debt. The four-year earnings growth is the only encouraging sign, but even doubled, these wages remain well below stateside poverty thresholds for a family.