Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at Rochester Community and Technical College

Minnesota's allied health programs typically cluster in the high $30,000s to low $40,000s for first-year earnings, and this program appears to track with that pattern. Based on comparable programs across the state, graduates likely earn around $38,400 in their first year—right at Minnesota's median for this field but slightly above the national benchmark of $36,900. The estimated debt load of $25,500 translates to a 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning graduates would owe roughly eight months of their first-year salary.

The challenge is that peer programs with reported data suggest there's meaningful variation in outcomes within Minnesota. Lake Superior College and Northland Community and Technical College both report graduates earning $42,000-$43,000—about $4,000 more annually than what similar programs typically produce. That gap matters when you're repaying $25,000 in loans on a medical assistant's salary.

The bottom line: Allied health programs generally offer solid employment prospects and manageable debt ratios in Minnesota's healthcare-rich economy. However, since these figures are estimates rather than this specific program's track record, compare Rochester's clinical partnerships, job placement support, and employer connections against schools with stronger reported outcomes. In a field where initial earnings vary by thousands based on clinical training quality and employer networks, those program details become the tiebreaker.