How Does Your Student-Loan Debt Stack Up?

Have you paid off your student loan yet? If average student-loan debt for graduates of the chiropractic program and similar postgraduate education programs in this state is any indication of the nationwide reality, you're not even close.

An analysis of more than 500 programs at 57 institutions in Oregon reveals that graduates of the University of Western States (Doctor of Chiropractic degree program) carry an average student-loan debt of $169,703. Here are the state's top 10 debt-generating programs based on the analysis of 2015-2016 U.S. Department of Education data by American City Business Journals, parent company of the Portland Business Journal:

• #1: Oregon Health & Science University (dentistry, first professional degree) – $276,675

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  #2: National University of Natural Medicine (alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems, first professional degree) – $231,702
• #3: Oregon Health & Science University (medicine, first professional degree) – $221,089
• #4: Pacific University (clinical counseling and applied psychology, doctoral degree) – $209,599
• #5: Pacific University (pharmacy, pharmaceutical sciences and administration, doctoral degree) – $199,228
• #6: Pacific University (optometry, doctoral degree) – $180,654
• #7: University of Western States (chiropractic, first professional degree) – $169,703
• #8: Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (alternative and complementary medicine and medical systems, master's degree) – $159,504
• #9: Oregon State University (veterinary medicine, first professional degree) – $155,786
• #10: Willamette University (law, first professional degree) – $154,190

Note that all but one (#10, the law program above) of the top 10 programs involve health care. Data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.