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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 2200

Non-Professional Legal Studies: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 3 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$147,409 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

—Modeled economic break-even

−124%Modeled 10-year ROI

$42,159Observed earnings · year 4

Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$42,159Median reported earnings · year 4

$46,958Average reported earnings · year 5

$27,487Median federal debt

31thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

3Reporting programs

2With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $97,028
Federal debt: $17,384
Reporting programs: 2

1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $42,159
Federal debt: $27,487
Reporting programs: 3

2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $63,487
Federal debt: $26,030
Reporting programs: 43

39 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $80,044
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 5

5 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$41,942National median$42,15975th percentile$41,942

2 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Post University$42,376 2Carl Albert State College$41,942 3Ivy Tech Community CollegeNot available

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

NO MATCHSOC 99-9999 · 2 crosswalk linksLegal Support Workers, All OtherSOC 23-2099 · 1 crosswalk linksParalegals and Legal AssistantsSOC 23-2011 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR NON-PROFESSIONAL LEGAL STUDIES

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	10-year ROI	Verdict
1	Post UniversityAssociate's Degree	Waterbury, CT	$42,376	$32,142	-120%	Negative payoff
2	Carl Albert State CollegeAssociate's Degree	Poteau, OK	$41,942	Not available	-126%	Negative payoff
3	Ivy Tech Community CollegeAssociate's Degree	Indianapolis, IN	Not available	$22,831	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	$7,258

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.