10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$200,700at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Community College of Allegheny County
⌖ Pittsburgh, PA · 25 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$200,700 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
67.0 yrsModeled economic break-even
−85%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,518Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Associate degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$13,970Average net price / year
$19,716Cost of attendance
$12,680Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$134/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,518Median earnings · year 5 after completion
24.2%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
9,544Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$45,760Year 1
$54,519Year 4
$48,518Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Electrical and Power Transmission Installers · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$174,6492Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$79,4973Ground Transportation · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$69,4534Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$63,6795Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$63,3046Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$62,6437Computer Programming · Associate's Degree$61,6938Computer and Information Sciences, General · Associate's Degree$58,905Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential—not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $174,649 reported+229%vs same-degree national median$12,000federal debt2Ground TransportationUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $69,453 reported+33%vs same-degree national median$11,000federal debt3Social WorkAssociate's Degree · $51,496 reported+31%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree · $40,493 reported+18%vs same-degree national median$9,651federal debt5Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $39,004 reported+14%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree · $52,824 reported+11%vs same-degree national median$14,874federal debt
Comparable colleges in PA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Cheyney, PA
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
- Annual net price
- $14,265
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,530
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -89%
York County School of Technology-Adult & Continuing Education
- Annual net price
- $13,490
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $49,506
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -81%
Greene County Career and Technology Center
- Annual net price
- $14,909
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,385
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
Harrisburg Area Community College
- Annual net price
- $14,471
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $50,140
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -78%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $174,649 | $12,000 | 113 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $79,497 | $22,772 | Not reported |
| Ground Transportation | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $69,453 | $11,000 | 101 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $63,679 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $63,304 | $26,995 | 135 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $62,643 | $20,250 | Not reported |
| Computer Programming | Associate's Degree | $61,693 | $22,203 | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | $58,905 | $14,261 | Not reported |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Associate's Degree | $57,851 | $13,750 | Not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | Associate's Degree | $54,047 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $52,824 | $14,874 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Associate's Degree | $51,496 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $51,099 | $12,671 | Not reported |
| Legal Support Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $47,545 | Not available | 12 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $43,383 | $14,217 | Not reported |
| Legal Support Services | Associate's Degree | $42,345 | Not available | 4 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's Degree | $42,190 | $19,922 | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $40,493 | $9,651 | Not reported |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,004 | Not available | 48 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $38,706 | $12,004 | Not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $38,602 | $10,986 | 4 |
| Mathematics | Associate's Degree | $37,714 | $14,118 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Associate's Degree | $35,110 | $14,113 | Not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $33,005 | $14,771 | Not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | Not available | $9,435 | 9 |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.