Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions at St. Augustine College

Graduates from similar allied health programs in Illinois typically earn around $54,000 in their first year—just about matching the national benchmark. However, the story gets more complicated at St. Augustine: by year four, actual reported earnings drop to $42,707. This backward trajectory is unusual for healthcare fields and raises questions about whether graduates are finding work that matches their training, or whether they're facing barriers that comparable programs don't encounter.

The estimated debt of $21,574 exceeds both Illinois and national medians for these programs, which means students here may be paying premium prices without premium outcomes. When nearby community colleges like Harper and Malcolm X are launching graduates into $63,000-65,000 positions, the gap becomes hard to ignore. With 73% of students on Pell grants, this price differential matters considerably.

The debt-to-earnings ratio looks manageable on paper at 0.40, but that's calculated against the higher first-year estimate. If the four-year earnings figure is more representative of the actual career path here, you're looking at a tougher payback scenario. Before committing, find out what's driving that earnings decline and whether St. Augustine's graduates are achieving the same employment outcomes as students at larger Illinois programs with proven track records.