Is Midwestern Career College Worth It?

Midwestern Career College gives you low debt but low earnings, and the gap between the two is the whole story. You borrow a median of $7,521, less than a single semester at many schools, and 63% of you finish. That debt load is manageable. The problem is what comes after: median earnings ten years out land near $36,000, barely above what a full-time minimum-wage job pays in Illinois. The return here is weak, held up only by how little you pay to get in.

This is a certificate school, and every program listed is a certificate, not a degree. The allied health diagnostic and treatment certificate is the one worth your money at roughly $38,000 a year, though even that comes with the highest debt of the three at $13,063. The medical assisting certificate is the trap: about $19,000 a year in earnings, which puts you near the poverty line while still owing $7,521. Clinical lab science sits in the middle and carries the lightest debt. Pick the diagnostic track or reconsider the school.

The net price runs about $11,000 to $14,000 a year, and it barely moves with income. Families under $30,000 pay $11,011. families making $75,000 to $110,000 pay $13,901. Low-income families get almost no break here, so the sticker price is close to the real price for you regardless of what you earn.

This school fits you if you want a fast, cheap credential in allied health diagnostics and a job in Chicago's medical system. Look elsewhere if you are drawn to the medical assisting program, because those earnings do not justify the cost, or if you need a school that discounts heavily for low income.