Home›Majors›Real Estate

ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5215

Real Estate: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 3 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$69,492 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.

30.0 yrsModeled economic break-even

−67%Modeled 10-year ROI

$48,473Observed 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

$48,473Median reported earnings · year 4

$39,810Average reported earnings · year 5

$25,453Median federal debt

49thYear-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: $46,206
Federal debt: $17,063
Reporting programs: 16

11 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $48,473
Federal debt: $25,453
Reporting programs: 3

2 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $83,592
Federal debt: $21,126
Reporting programs: 28

25 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $147,770
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 15

15 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$43,411National median$48,47375th percentile$43,411

2 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1American Public University System$53,534 2Sinclair Community College$43,411 3Houston City 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.

Appraisers and Assessors of Real EstateSOC 13-2023 · 1 crosswalk linksAppraisers of Personal and Business PropertySOC 13-2022 · 1 crosswalk linksProperty, Real Estate, and Community Association ManagersSOC 11-9141 · 1 crosswalk linksReal Estate BrokersSOC 41-9021 · 1 crosswalk linksReal Estate Sales AgentsSOC 41-9022 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR REAL ESTATE

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	American Public University SystemAssociate's Degree	Charles Town, WV	$53,534	$23,765	-22%	Negative payoff
2	Sinclair Community CollegeAssociate's Degree	Dayton, OH	$43,411	Not available	-116%	Negative payoff
3	Houston City CollegeAssociate's Degree	Houston, TX	Not available	$27,140	WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive	$5,737

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.