Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services at University of Alaska Southeast

Alaska's cost of living makes the estimated earnings here particularly concerning. While similar allied health programs nationally point to first-year earnings around $36,900, that figure stretches much further in most other states than it does in Juneau. The one Alaska program with reported data—University of Alaska Anchorage—shows graduates earning $44,500, suggesting that peer institutions in-state are achieving significantly better outcomes. That $7,600 gap matters when you're facing Alaska's housing costs and remote location expenses.

The estimated debt load of $17,600 appears manageable at first glance—it's below the national median for these programs and represents roughly half of first-year earnings. But paired with below-market earnings in an expensive state, the practical reality is tighter. Medical assisting roles typically don't see dramatic salary growth, so graduates would be servicing this debt on earnings that may remain relatively flat while living costs continue climbing.

For families considering this program, the comparison to University of Alaska Anchorage is instructive. If similar training is producing substantially higher starting salaries just a few hundred miles away, that's worth exploring—even with relocation costs factored in. Given that we're working with estimated figures here and the one data point we do have suggests better outcomes elsewhere in Alaska, approaching this investment cautiously makes sense.