Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences at University of Minnesota-Crookston

University of Minnesota-Crookston's health sciences program graduates earn $40,361 a year out—comfortably above the national median but substantially below what other Minnesota programs deliver. While the national numbers look solid (77th percentile), the state comparison is sobering: this program ranks in just the 25th percentile among Minnesota's six health sciences programs, with graduates earning roughly $12,000 less than the state median of $52,212. The University of Minnesota's Twin Cities and Rochester campuses, for instance, both report starting salaries around $54,000.

The debt picture offers some relief. At $25,000, graduates carry slightly less debt than both state and national medians, creating a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62. That means students can realistically pay down their loans within a few years if they're disciplined about it. However, the small sample size here—fewer than 30 graduates—means these numbers could shift significantly year to year, making this more of an educated guess than a reliable forecast.

If your child is set on staying in Minnesota after graduation, this program's lower earnings relative to other in-state options is hard to ignore. The tuition savings at a smaller UMN campus may not offset the income gap over time. But if they're comparing against out-of-state options or prefer Crookston's environment, the national comparison looks reasonable.