Somatic Bodywork at Rexburg College of Massage Therapy

At $17,692 in first-year earnings, Rexburg College graduates are making about $2,400 less than the national median for somatic bodywork programs—landing in just the 23rd percentile nationally. That's a significant gap. However, context matters: in Idaho's limited massage therapy market, this program actually performs at the median, ranking in the 60th percentile statewide. The real standout here is Carrington College-Boise, where graduates nearly double these earnings at $34,434, suggesting that Idaho's massage therapy outcomes vary dramatically by school.

The $6,544 in median debt is lower than the national median, which sounds positive until you realize graduates are barely earning three times their loan amount in their first year. For a field where many practitioners work part-time or build their practice gradually, starting at under $18,000 annually makes those monthly loan payments feel heavier than the ratio suggests. With 43% of students receiving Pell grants, many come from families where an immediate financial return matters.

If your child is set on massage therapy in Idaho and wants to stay in Rexburg, this program won't bury them in debt. But the earnings gap between this school and Carrington is stark enough that exploring Boise options could be worth the additional commute or relocation costs, especially if building a full-time practice is the goal.