Health and Medical Administrative Services at The University of Texas at Dallas

UT Dallas manages to keep debt remarkably low while delivering solidly above-average earnings in healthcare administration. At just $16,123 in median debt—one of the lowest figures in the country for this field—graduates owe roughly a third of what their peers carry at most Texas programs. First-year earnings of $47,803 put them above both the state median ($41,507) and national median ($44,345), landing in the 60th percentile among Texas programs.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 is exceptional for a healthcare administration degree, where many programs saddle students with debt approaching or exceeding their entire first year's salary. This combination means graduates can realistically pay down their loans quickly while establishing themselves in the field. The program sits squarely in the middle tier of Texas offerings—it won't match the earning power of specialized health sciences centers like Texas Tech's program, but it costs far less in borrowed money to get there.

For a family watching college costs carefully, this represents one of the safer bets in healthcare administration. Your child gets access to a selective university (65% admission rate, 1300 average SAT) without the crushing debt burden that often accompanies health-related degrees. The earnings may not be spectacular, but the financial risk is genuinely low.