10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$269,392at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
⌖ Paducah, KY · 16 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$269,392 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
−134%Modeled 10-year ROI
$38,202Observed 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
- Certificates
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$5,353Average net price / year
$14,084Cost of attendance
$8,986Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$95/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$38,202Median earnings · year 5 after completion
49.8%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
2,851Student 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
$32,770Year 1
$43,110Year 4
$38,202Year 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$74,0942Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$69,8503Precision Metal Working · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$58,5124Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other · Associate's Degree$57,5965Computer and Information Sciences, General · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$51,6326Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$47,9837Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$47,8498Criminal Justice and Corrections · Associate's Degree$39,279Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Comparable colleges in KY
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Ashland, KY
Ashland Community and Technical College
- Annual net price
- $5,717
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $39,260
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -128%
Hopkinsville Community College
- Annual net price
- $5,875
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $39,181
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -129%
Big Sandy Community and Technical College
- Annual net price
- $3,873
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $39,046
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -130%
Owensboro Community and Technical College
- Annual net price
- $5,800
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $40,186
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -124%
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 | $74,094 | $5,500 | 53 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $69,850 | $13,000 | Not reported |
| Precision Metal Working | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $58,512 | $8,250 | 32 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Associate's Degree | $57,596 | $10,000 | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $51,632 | $10,875 | 12 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $47,983 | $11,879 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $47,849 | $12,391 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $39,279 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $38,835 | $9,531 | Not reported |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | $38,499 | $8,500 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $36,252 | $12,445 | 34 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $35,321 | $9,500 | 13 |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $33,123 | $12,059 | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $29,518 | $7,928 | 23 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | Not available | $13,556 | 46 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Associate's Degree | Not available | $16,250 | 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.