Is University of Minnesota-Rochester Worth It?

University of Minnesota-Rochester gives you a strong financial return for a health-focused school. You pay $12,785 a year on average and carry $19,500 in median debt at graduation, then earn about $69,020 ten years out. That debt is low enough to clear on a health-sector salary in the Rochester area, home to the Mayo Clinic and a deep regional demand for allied health workers.

This school is built almost entirely around health sciences, and that focus works in your favor. The bachelor's in Health Services/Allied Health Sciences shows first-job earnings near $49,270 with debt just under $19,000, so your borrowing stays roughly in line with your starting pay. That one-to-one ratio is the kind you want. But the narrow program lineup is also the risk: if you don't want a health career, there isn't much else here, and the median earnings figure reflects a student body funneled toward one field.

The bigger financial risk is finishing. Only 72% of you return after your first year, and just 57% graduate. Debt with no degree is the worst outcome, and more than four in ten students who start here don't finish. Before you enroll, be honest about whether health sciences is the path you'll stick with.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families sharply. If your family earns under $75,000, you pay between $3,010 and $4,452 a year. Above $75,000, the price jumps to $16,790, and over $110,000 it hits $24,800. That cliff means middle- and upper-income families pay nearly full freight while lower-income students get a genuine bargain.

Enroll here if you're set on a health career and qualify for the lower price tiers. Look elsewhere if you're undecided on your major or your family income puts you in the top brackets.