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Essex County College

⌖ Newark, NJ · 13 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$201,384 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.

—Modeled economic break-even

−102%Modeled 10-year ROI

$44,636Observed earnings · year 5

Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff

Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it

ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation

−$201,384at year 10

Net gainInvestment not yet recovered

NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED

−$197,7440

−$201,38410

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.

Published in-state tuition$5,415

Sticker price

Published out-of-state tuition$9,523

Sticker price

Average net price$4,436

Title IV student average

Cost of attendance$12,506

Tuition + living budget

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

Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.

OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$4,436Average net price / year

$12,506Cost of attendance

Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers

Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate

$44,636Median earnings · year 5 after completion

19.9%Completion rate

Not availableAdmission rate

5,855Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$3,792

$30–48k$4,562

$48–75k$6,135

$75–110k$7,345

$110k+$9,647

LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$44,636

Year 6$30,298

Year 10$37,230

Full-time retention: 55.9%
Part-time retention: 39.4%
Completion within 200% of normal time: 27.7%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

48thEarnings percentile

4thCompletion percentile

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.

$46,812Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories

$7,302Median federal debt across categories that report debt

62%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark

EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$30,419Year 1

$48,042Year 4

$44,636Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

Strongest relative outcomes

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.

1Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's Degree · $61,635 reported+46%vs same-degree national median$25,125federal debt 2Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's Degree · $68,134 reported+40%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 3Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $105,634 reported+31%vs same-degree national median$20,430federal debt 4Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree · $56,282 reported+18%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 5Social Sciences, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $44,106 reported+2%vs same-degree national median$5,851federal debt 6Social WorkAssociate's Degree · $40,064 reported+2%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in NJ

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Mays Landing, NJ

Atlantic Cape Community College

Annual net price: $8,392
Observed earnings · year 5: $44,105
Modeled 10-year ROI: -104%

Open college profile →Washington, NJ

Warren County Community College

Annual net price: $5,726
Observed earnings · year 5: $47,963
Modeled 10-year ROI: -85%

Open college profile →Jersey City, NJ

Hudson County Community College

Annual net price: $7,307
Observed earnings · year 5: $46,503
Modeled 10-year ROI: -93%

Open college profile →Paterson, NJ

Passaic County Community College

Annual net price: $7,761
Observed earnings · year 5: $46,396
Modeled 10-year ROI: -93%

Open college profile →

ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal field	Credential	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	2023–24 awards
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	Associate's Degree	$105,634	$20,430	Not reported
Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions	Associate's Degree	$68,134	Not available	Not reported
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	Associate's Degree	$61,635	$25,125	Not reported
Accounting and Related Services	Associate's Degree	$56,282	Not available	Not reported
Business Administration, Management and Operations	Associate's Degree	$48,863	$6,625	Not reported
Computer Programming	Associate's Degree	$48,758	Not available	Not reported
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs	Associate's Degree	$46,812	$9,499	Not reported
Criminal Justice and Corrections	Associate's Degree	$44,621	Not available	Not reported
Social Sciences, General	Associate's Degree	$44,106	$5,851	Not reported
Social Work	Associate's Degree	$40,064	Not available	Not reported
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods	Associate's Degree	$37,715	Not available	Not reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	Associate's Degree	$37,177	$7,302	Not reported
Biology, General	Associate's Degree	$34,961	Not available	Not reported

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.