ROI Major

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions at Illinois Valley Community 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 Illinois Valley Community College earn a median salary of $32,986 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IL, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $35,932. The degree typically pays for itself in 66.1 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

$25,111

Typical Career

$32,986

Top Performers

$44,638

Estimated break-even: 66.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$220

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $2,749. Most students can comfortably afford about a $220 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 0.9x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.4x 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, Manufacturing, Retail Trade.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 44.6%
Manufacturing 10.7%
Retail Trade 8.1%

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

$35,932

Nominal: $32,986 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).

66.1 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 $21,429 $26,749 $32,728
5 Years After Graduation $25,111 $32,986 $44,638
10 Years After Graduation $31,611 $42,371 $61,036

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 $32,986 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)
= $32,986 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9180) = $35,932 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates in Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions from Illinois Valley Community College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $26,749, rising to $32,986 after five years, and reaching $42,371 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $35,932.46, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for significant growth in income over the long term.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 44.6% employed in this field one year post-graduation, and 42.0% and 29.3% remaining in similar roles after five and ten years, respectively. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 66.1 years, suggesting that while the career offers stable employment opportunities, the return on investment may be prolonged. This indicates that students should weigh the long-term financial implications against their career aspirations in this field.

Compare with Another School

See how the Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science and Allied Professions degree at Illinois Valley Community 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.