10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$174,798at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Houston City College
⌖ Houston, TX · 39 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$174,798 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.
72.1 yrsModeled economic break-even
−86%Modeled 10-year ROI
$47,815Observed 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
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- 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
$5,737Average net price / year
$12,009Cost of attendance
$13,921Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$148/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$47,815Median earnings · year 5 after completion
16.5%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
40,503Student 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
$34,320Year 1
$50,591Year 4
$47,815Year 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.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$89,0022Engineering Science · Associate's Degree$80,6023Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$80,1884Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Associate's Degree$78,9805Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$75,2876Physical Science Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$74,1247Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$73,7298Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions · Associate's Degree$63,664Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Comparable colleges in TX
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Waco, TX
McLennan Community College
- Annual net price
- $5,051
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,643
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -87%
Vernon College
- Annual net price
- $6,404
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,014
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -85%
Kilgore College
- Annual net price
- $5,364
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,073
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
San Antonio College
- Annual net price
- $4,585
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,334
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -88%
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 | $89,002 | $18,770 | Not reported |
| Engineering Science | Associate's Degree | $80,602 | $17,814 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $80,188 | $16,975 | Not reported |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate's Degree | $78,980 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $75,287 | $14,249 | 124 |
| Physical Science Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $74,124 | $21,740 | Not reported |
| Mining and Petroleum Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $73,729 | $31,138 | Not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | Associate's Degree | $63,664 | $16,250 | Not reported |
| Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications | Associate's Degree | $62,339 | $18,862 | Not reported |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $60,458 | $12,040 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $59,021 | $13,925 | 18 |
| Biology, General | Associate's Degree | $58,846 | $11,005 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's Degree | $58,451 | $16,250 | Not reported |
| Fire Protection | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $56,144 | Not available | 8 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $55,262 | Not available | 17 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $52,985 | $16,045 | Not reported |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's Degree | $52,208 | $24,562 | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $49,714 | Not available | 91 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $49,588 | $19,000 | 15 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $48,944 | $17,106 | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $48,330 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $46,694 | $18,749 | Not reported |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $42,204 | $16,035 | 167 |
| Precision Metal Working | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $41,773 | $10,022 | 84 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $41,545 | Not available | 5 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $39,946 | $14,905 | 43 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $38,800 | $16,125 | 905 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | Associate's Degree | $36,872 | $37,503 | Not reported |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $35,035 | $18,797 | 34 |
| Graphic Communications | Associate's Degree | $34,557 | Not available | Not reported |
| Design and Applied Arts | Associate's Degree | $30,434 | Not available | Not reported |
| Real Estate | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $27,929 | $18,345 | 35 |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $27,150 | $26,217 | Not reported |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $27,069 | $26,992 | Not reported |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $22,990 | Not available | 78 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $22,667 | $14,999 | 90 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | Associate's Degree | $22,631 | $31,123 | Not reported |
| Legal Support Services | Associate's Degree | Not available | $14,000 | Not reported |
| Real Estate | Associate's Degree | Not available | $27,140 | 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.