ROI Major

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions at City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College

IL · Certificate Degree · CIP 51.10

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree from City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College earn a median salary of $37,592 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $40,950. The degree typically pays for itself in 36.1 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$26,371

Typical Career

$37,592

Top Performers

$49,855

Estimated break-even: 36.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$251

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,133. Most students can comfortably afford about a $251 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Illinois buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Transportation & Warehousing, Administrative & Support Services.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 21.2%
Transportation & Warehousing 15.1%
Administrative & Support Services 8.2%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$40,950

Nominal: $37,592 in Illinois (COL 91.8% of national avg) · 8.9% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

36.1 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $23,597 $33,739 $58,363
5 Years After Graduation $26,371 $37,592 $49,855
10 Years After Graduation $32,785 $44,737 $57,991

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $37,592 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IL, which has a cost-of-living index of 91.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $37,592 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $40,950 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions program at City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $33,739, which rises to $37,592 after five years and further increases to $44,737 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $40,949.89, indicating a relatively stable financial outlook, although the cost of living in Illinois is slightly lower than the national average.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, with 42.1%, 41.3%, and 21.2% of graduates respectively finding employment in this field. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 36.1 years, suggesting that while the program can lead to a rewarding career, it may take several decades to realize a significant return on investment. Overall, students should weigh the long-term financial benefits against the time required to achieve them.

Compare with Another School

See how the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree at City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.