Lesley University Rehabilitation and Therapy (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
- Private nonprofit university
- Cambridge, MA
- About 18 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Lesley University rehabilitation and therapy graduates earn less than graduates of most rehabilitation and therapy programs nationally, $28,787 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $23,000 in federal loans, less than at 78% of rehabilitation and therapy programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Massachusetts median of $36,349.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Massachusetts and national columns are the medians across all rehabilitation and therapy bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Lesley University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $35,546 less than the Massachusetts median. Several Massachusetts programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts rehabilitation and therapy program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Massachusetts medians.
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 32% between the first and fifth year.
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 $9,065 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $244 a month, or 10.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
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.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
71% of graduates (24 of 34) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $28,787 salary here buys what about $26,589 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to rehabilitation and therapy, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Physical Therapists
$103,790Median pay in Massachusetts. 6,850 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 12% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.
Occupational Therapists
$100,930Median pay in Massachusetts. 6,510 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 15% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Rehabilitation Counselors
$47,320Median pay in Massachusetts. 5,760 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Recreational Therapists
$62,820Median pay in Massachusetts. 210 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About Lesley University
Rehabilitation and Therapy ranks 9th of 11 bachelor's programs at Lesley University by first-year earnings. The top three are Business Administration ($46,448), Psychology ($39,211), and Human Development and Family Studies ($38,516).
Other rehabilitation and therapy bachelor's programs near Cambridge
Common questions
The median graduate earns $28,787 one year after graduating and $37,868 five years after. The median across rehabilitation and therapy bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $36,349.
The median federal loan balance is $23,000, which ranks the lowest of 5 rehabilitation and therapy bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 80% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 70%. Compare the cost with other Massachusetts programs before deciding.
Most do. 71% (24 of 34) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.
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 Massachusetts 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 rehabilitation and therapy 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