10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$231,966at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Northampton County Area Community College
⌖ Bethlehem, PA · 18 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$231,966 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
$44,651Observed 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
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$12,119Average net price / year
$18,119Cost of attendance
$15,495Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$164/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$44,651Median earnings · year 5 after completion
23.6%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
7,667Student 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
$37,066Year 1
$49,408Year 4
$44,651Year 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$78,8542Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$72,8363Funeral Service and Mortuary Science · Associate's Degree$68,3114Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Associate's Degree$67,2595Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$59,9776Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$58,5877Business/Commerce, General · Associate's Degree$54,6618Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$50,143Observed 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.
1Funeral Service and Mortuary ScienceAssociate's Degree · $68,311 reported+29%vs same-degree national median$18,500federal debt2Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's Degree · $41,577 reported+12%vs same-degree national median$23,613federal debt3Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's Degree · $72,836 reported+11%vs same-degree national median$23,417federal debt4Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $54,661 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$14,125federal debt5Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssociate's Degree · $41,092 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$13,796federal debt6Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's Degree · $67,259 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$19,690federal 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.
Philadelphia, PA
Community College of Philadelphia
- Annual net price
- $11,911
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,114
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -99%
Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center
- Annual net price
- $14,111
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $44,389
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -103%
Luzerne County Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,433
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,009
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -100%
Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology
- Annual net price
- $9,857
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $42,983
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -109%
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 | $78,854 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $72,836 | $23,417 | Not reported |
| Funeral Service and Mortuary Science | Associate's Degree | $68,311 | $18,500 | Not reported |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate's Degree | $67,259 | $19,690 | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $59,977 | Not available | Not reported |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $58,587 | $23,033 | 24 |
| Business/Commerce, General | Associate's Degree | $54,661 | $14,125 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $50,143 | $21,132 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $48,886 | $17,449 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Associate's Degree | $47,519 | $17,250 | Not reported |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $42,858 | Not available | Not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Associate's Degree | $41,577 | $23,613 | Not reported |
| Design and Applied Arts | Associate's Degree | $41,282 | $15,250 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Associate's Degree | $41,245 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's Degree | $41,092 | $13,796 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $40,129 | $15,250 | Not reported |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | Associate's Degree | $39,251 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Associate's Degree | $36,736 | $17,500 | 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.