Health and Physical Education/Fitness at NUC University

The $14,767 first-year earnings from this certificate program sit at the 5th percentile nationally—nearly $10,000 below the national median of $24,195. However, Puerto Rico's fitness certification market operates on an entirely different economic scale. At 60th percentile within the state, these graduates actually earn at or above the local median, though the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means this ranking could shift dramatically with more data. The debt load of $9,007 translates to a 0.61 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates owe about seven months of their first-year salary—manageable by technical standards, but challenging when your annual income is under $15,000.

The real question is whether this certificate serves as a stepping stone or an endpoint. If your child plans to remain in Puerto Rico's fitness industry, this aligns with local earning realities. But if they're considering mainland opportunities or expecting this credential to unlock higher wages, the national comparison is sobering—three-quarters of similar programs elsewhere produce graduates earning nearly double. With 71% of students receiving Pell grants, NUC primarily serves low-income students who may have limited alternatives, but parents should understand this certificate won't dramatically change their child's earning trajectory in the short term.