Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions at Shenandoah University

Peer programs in rehabilitation and therapeutic professions nationally suggest first-year earnings around $36,000, but that figure masks significant state-level variation—and in Virginia, the story looks considerably better. The single program with reported data in the state shows graduates earning $41,700, roughly $6,000 more than the national baseline used to estimate Shenandoah's outcomes. This gap matters when you're carrying debt: at an estimated $27,000, your child would be looking at a debt load that's manageable if they land closer to Virginia's typical outcomes, but more burdensome at the lower national figure.

The 0.75 debt-to-earnings ratio based on national comparables suggests reasonable balance, but the real question is whether Shenandoah's program connects students to Virginia's apparently stronger job market for rehabilitation professionals. With limited graduate sample sizes preventing actual outcome reporting, you're betting on Shenandoah delivering results similar to its peers without the transparency to verify. For a field where location and clinical connections often drive early career opportunities, understanding where graduates actually work and what roles they secure becomes crucial.

The practical move: contact the program directly about job placement specifics and whether graduates stay in Virginia, where the market appears stronger. The estimated numbers suggest viability, but in a field with demonstrated state-level variation, local outcomes matter more than national averages.