Criminal Justice and Corrections at Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Carolina Campus

The $18,249 starting salary here sits $4,300 below Puerto Rico's median for criminal justice associates programs—already among the lowest-earning credentials in the territory. While this ranks in the 25th percentile statewide, the more telling comparison is national: this program falls in just the 5th percentile, earning nearly half what criminal justice graduates typically make on the mainland. Even accounting for Puerto Rico's lower cost of living, these numbers reflect genuinely constrained earning potential in the field.

The debt load of $9,989 looks manageable on paper, but it's nearly double the $5,500 median for similar programs in Puerto Rico. Combined with those first-year earnings, graduates face debt equal to 55% of their annual income—workable, but tight for entry-level wages. The 32% earnings growth to $24,106 by year four offers some relief, though that still trails what peers earn at other Universidad Ana G. Mendez campuses by over $1,600.

Given the small graduating cohort here, these figures might not represent the typical graduate experience. But the pattern is concerning enough to warrant serious consideration: even within Puerto Rico's criminal justice job market, this program appears to place graduates on the lower end of the earnings spectrum. Parents should look closely at whether local law enforcement or corrections careers realistically justify this investment versus starting work directly after high school.