Human Services at Rasmussen University-Minnesota

The small sample size here demands caution, but the available data reveals a troubling pattern: graduates see their earnings drop by 11% between year one and year four, falling from $33,870 to just over $30,000. This isn't the upward trajectory you'd expect after gaining work experience in any field. While the starting salary beats the national average for human services associate programs, placing this in the 74th percentile nationally, that advantage evaporates quickly.

The debt picture offers some relief—at $26,882, it's notably lower than Minnesota's median of $37,015 for this program, and with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79, graduates aren't drowning in payments. Still, that declining income trend is hard to ignore. It suggests either limited career advancement opportunities or that many graduates shift into different, lower-paying work over time. Compare this to Century College's human services program, where graduates earn $41,000—that's 36% more than Rasmussen's fourth-year figure.

For a family paying for this degree, the question becomes whether spending nearly $27,000 makes sense when earnings trend downward and comparable Minnesota programs show stronger outcomes. The high Pell grant percentage (51%) suggests many students here are already financially stretched. Unless your child has specific reasons to attend Rasmussen over alternatives like Century College, this program's trajectory should concern you.