Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at United Education Institute-Morrow

This program significantly underperforms both state and national benchmarks for dental support services training. Graduates earn just $19,904 in their first year—about $7,000 less than the Georgia median and $5,300 below the national average. Among Georgia's 17 dental support programs, this ranks in only the 25th percentile, meaning three-quarters of similar programs in the state produce better earnings outcomes.

The positive news is strong earnings growth, with salaries jumping 32% to $26,229 by year four. However, even after this growth, graduates still lag behind what most programs deliver immediately. The debt load of $9,500 is manageable and matches national norms, creating a reasonable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48. With 71% of students receiving Pell grants, this program clearly serves students from lower-income backgrounds who may value any credential that opens doors to healthcare careers.

The bottom line: while this program offers affordable entry into dental support services, the weak initial earnings suggest you'd likely get better value at Georgia's technical colleges like Augusta Tech ($28,949) or Albany Tech ($28,683), which deliver significantly higher starting salaries for similar debt levels. Unless location or scheduling flexibility makes this your only viable option, other programs offer better returns on investment.