How much debt do Kent State pre-health studies graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 6 pre-health studies bachelor's programs in Ohio. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a pre-health studies degree from Kent State worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 64% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 72%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

Do Kent State pre-health studies graduates stay in Ohio?

Most do. 87% (40 of 46) were working in Ohio one year after graduating.

Kent State Pre-Health Studies (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Health/Medical Preparatory Programs
Public university
Kent, OH
About 15 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Kent State pre-health studies graduates earn more than graduates of most pre-health studies programs nationally, $41,924 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying pre-health studies degrees in Ohio.

First-year earnings$41,92481st percentile of 32 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$58,51940% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0006th lowest of 6 Ohio programs

Debt-to-earnings64%Ohio median 74%, national 72%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Ohio and national columns are the medians across all pre-health studies bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Kent State	Ohio	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,924	$33,071	$33,330
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$58,519	$62,719	$65,466
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,794	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	64%	74%	72%
Programs compared		6	32

Five years out, Kent State graduates earn less than the national figure and about $4,200 less than the Ohio median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Ohio pre-health studies program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Ohio medians.

Kent StateOther Ohio programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 40% between the first and fifth year.

Kent State grads, year 1$41,924

Kent State grads, year 5$58,519

All Ohio pre-health studies grads, year 5$62,719

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $31,000 against $25,500.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$42,061Median debt $31,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$36,191Median debt $25,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 8.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (72 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 28 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $24,397.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

87% of graduates (40 of 46) were working in Ohio one year after graduating. Prices in the Akron area are about 7% below the national average, so a $41,924 salary here buys what about $44,901 buys in a typical US city.

About Kent State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,232 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$23,082 / year
Average net price after aid	$20,787 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	64%
Undergraduate students	19,320

Pre-Health Studies ranks 18th of 56 bachelor's programs at Kent State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($66,990), Construction Management ($64,652), and Computer Science ($60,051).

Other pre-health studies bachelor's programs near Kent

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Kent StateKent, OH · public		$41,924	$27,000
University of AkronAkron, OH · public	10 mi	$31,218	$25,000
Cleveland StateCleveland, OH · public	30 mi	$23,755	$20,738

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,924 one year after graduating and $58,519 five years after. The median across pre-health studies bachelor's programs in Ohio is $33,071.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Ohio comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the pre-health studies program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Pre-Health Studies bachelor's programs in Ohio, ranked6 programs by pay and debt Pre-Health Studies bachelor's programs in the US, ranked32 programs by pay and debt All Kent State programs, ranked66 programs by pay and debt