Financial Picture
Is it worth it? Run your numbers.
CAA school is a real investment — tuition, ~2–2.5 years of reduced income, and loans — against a strong long-term salary. These calculators help you see the trade-off honestly. Every figure is an estimate you control.
Loan estimator
Estimate the monthly payment and lifetime interest on a student loan.
Your situation
These drive the break-even and earnings projection below. Defaults are rough estimates — edit them to match your numbers.
Your pay before CAA school
Tuition + fees
CAA programs run ~2–2.5 yrs
0 = stop working
CAA salary reference (tap to use)
Market / compensation-survey estimates — CAAs are not separately tracked by BLS. Pay varies by state, setting, and experience. See the ASA CAA resource.
Break-even
When the CAA income advantage offsets the true cost of getting there.
Net cost = program cost ($130,000) + forgone income ($138,000).
Earnings projection
Cumulative earnings if you stay in your current job vs. become a CAA (program cost applied up front).
The CAA path pulls ahead in year 4.
| Year | Current job (cumulative) | Become CAA (cumulative) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | $120,000 | -$130,000 |
| 4 | $240,000 | $270,000 |
| 6 | $360,000 | $670,000 |
| 8 | $480,000 | $1,070,000 |
| 10 | $600,000 | $1,470,000 |
New federal borrowing caps affect graduate students
Recent federal law is reshaping graduate student lending, and two changes matter most for CAA applicants:
- Grad PLUS loans are being phased out for new borrowers — the loan that previously let graduate students borrow up to their full cost of attendance.
- The new federal borrowing caps are tiered, and they're higher for a specific federal list of “professional degree” programs (medicine, dentistry, law) than for other graduate programs. A CAA master's in medical science generally falls under the standard graduate caps, so confirm where your program lands before you plan.
The practical impact: federal loans may not cover your full cost of attendance — which stings more because most CAA programs are full-time and hard to work through. Plan early for the gap: savings, scholarships, program payment plans, employer support, or (carefully) private loans.
These rules are phasing in and the specifics matter. Confirm current limits, eligibility, and dates at studentaid.gov before you plan around them.
These tools provide estimates for planning only and are not financial advice. Boost CAA is not a licensed financial advisor. Actual costs, salaries, loan terms, and taxes vary; consult a qualified advisor before making financial decisions.