ROI Major

Dental Support Services and Allied Professions at University of Hawaii Maui College

HI · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Dental Support Services and Allied Professions degree from University of Hawaii Maui College earn a median salary of $39,272 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in HI, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $21,343. The degree typically pays for itself in 16.5 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

$29,985

Typical Career

$39,272

Top Performers

$65,035

Estimated break-even: 16.5 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$262

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,273. Most students can comfortably afford about a $262 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 Hawaii buys what costs $1.84 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Accommodation & Food Services, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.7%
Accommodation & Food Services 22.3%
Retail Trade 10.0%

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

$21,343

Nominal: $39,272 in Hawaii (COL 184.0% of national avg) · 45.7% lower 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).

16.5 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 $24,184 $30,926 $37,744
5 Years After Graduation $29,985 $39,272 $65,035
10 Years After Graduation $41,357 $56,877 $84,159

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 $39,272 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in HI, which has a cost-of-living index of 184.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $39,272 × (1.0 ÷ 1.8400) = $21,343 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Dental Support Services and Allied Professions program at the University of Hawaii Maui College can expect a steady increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $30,926, which rises to $39,272 after five years and reaches $56,877 by the ten-year mark. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is significantly lower at $21,343.48, indicating that the cost of living in Hawaii may impact the real value of these earnings.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, accounting for 36.4% and 34.7% of employment, followed by Accommodation & Food Services at 22.3%. Considering the estimated break-even point of approximately 16.5 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree may be moderate. While the program offers a pathway into stable industries, students should weigh the long-term financial implications against the higher cost of living in Hawaii.

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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.