Public Health at Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud State's public health bachelor's comes with one of the lowest debt loads you'll find—$17,850 versus $27,000 statewide and $26,000 nationally. That's a meaningful advantage. The tradeoff is starting earnings of $32,830, which lands below the Minnesota median of $38,475 and ranks in just the 16th percentile nationally. Among Minnesota's 12 public health programs, this sits at the 40th percentile—middle of the pack for the state, but well below top performers like Winona State ($46,250) and St. Catherine ($42,407). The small sample size here matters, though, so these numbers could shift considerably year to year.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.54 is manageable, and graduates do see solid income growth—31% over four years, reaching $43,053. That four-year mark brings earnings closer to competitive range, though still trailing state leaders. For a student committed to public health work who wants to minimize debt, this program delivers on that goal. The risk is whether those lower starting salaries will meaningfully constrain early career opportunities or geographic flexibility, particularly if your child has interest in moving to higher cost-of-living areas where public health salaries also trend higher. If they're cost-sensitive and planning to stay in central Minnesota, the low debt burden makes this workable.