Is National Park College Worth It?

National Park College gives you a mixed financial picture that swings hard on which program you pick. The median graduate earns about $32,000 ten years out, which is low, and only about a third of students finish. But the low debt load and cheap net price mean your downside is limited even if things go wrong.

Your major decides everything here. The nursing associate degree pays roughly $53,000, and allied health lands around $45,000 with under $10,000 in debt, so those two carry real payoff. Computer and information sciences at about $42,000 is a solid middle option. Practical nursing as a certificate comes in near $36,000. Criminal justice sits at $31,000, below the school's own median earnings, so it barely clears what you'd make without the credential. Sorting toward the health programs is the difference between a degree that pays for itself and one that doesn't.

The main risk is the 36% graduation rate. If you leave without finishing, you carry debt and get none of the earnings bump the nursing and allied health tracks provide. The low sticker cost protects you somewhat, but non-completion is where this school hurts you.

Net price barely moves as family income climbs from under $30,000 to the $48,000 range, so lower-income families pay close to the same $11,000 either way. Above $75,000, your cost jumps to about $16,000, so higher-earning families should compare this against other options.

This school fits you if you want a nursing, allied health, or computing associate degree and plan to finish. If you're drawn to criminal justice or unsure you'll complete, the return is weak and you should look elsewhere.