Is Brookline College-Phoenix Worth It?

The financial picture at Brookline College-Phoenix is weak, with one clear exception. Ten years after enrolling, the typical graduate earns under $30,000 a year, which is close to what many jobs pay without any degree at all. That number should stop you before you enroll in most programs here.

Nursing is the outlier that pays. A bachelor's in registered nursing gets you into the high $60,000s, more than double the school's median and enough to justify the roughly $29,500 in debt that comes with it. Phoenix has steady hospital and clinic demand, so those nursing wages are backed by a real regional job market. If nursing is your path, this is where the math works.

Almost everything else here does not clear that bar. Health and medical administrative services and criminal justice both land in the low $30,000s, and criminal justice carries the heaviest debt load on the list for the lowest return of the three. Borrowing over $31,000 to earn around $31,000 a year is a poor trade.

The specific risk here is the split: half of students don't graduate, and a for-profit credential outside nursing may not carry weight with local employers. If you borrow and don't finish, you hold debt with no degree to show for it.

This school is a reasonable financial fit if you are committed to nursing and can complete the program. If you are considering the administrative or criminal justice tracks, price out a community college or public university in Arizona first, since you'll likely pay less for comparable or better wages. Lower-income families should confirm the actual net price by income tier before enrolling, since the sticker figures alone won't tell you what you'll owe.