10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$202,148at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Aiken Technical College
⌖ Graniteville, SC · 6 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$202,148 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.
Not availableModeled economic break-even
−101%Modeled 10-year ROI
$44,708Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Aiken Technical College
What does Aiken Technical College cost?
Aiken Technical College reports an average annual net price of $4,807 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Aiken Technical College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $44,708 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Aiken Technical College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $12,250. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Aiken Technical College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 6 field-and-credential outcomes at Aiken Technical College; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
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.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$182,920
$5,000Current college-wide context−$202,920
$8,000Annual price−$214,920
$16,000Annual price−$246,920
$24,000Annual price−$278,920
$32,000Annual price−$310,920
$40,000Annual price−$342,920
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
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$4,807Average net price / year
$13,171Cost of attendance
$12,250Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$130/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$44,708Median earnings · year 5 after completion
33.5%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
1,925Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
26% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
Borrower count not reportedMedian federal student debt
31% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$37,650Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$43,768Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$62,993Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income25%
Middle income43%
Higher income39%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 47
$64,402Year 1
$78,843Year 5
$87,772Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$62,653Year 1
$77,083Year 5
$83,121Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
$47,119Year 1
$65,194Year 5
$82,803Year 10
Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/Technicians.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 41
$50,676Year 1
$61,969Year 5
$82,718Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 15
$34,107Year 1
$61,332Year 5
$76,770Year 10
Boilermaking/Boilermaker.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 48
$34,840Year 1
$56,877Year 5
$72,585Year 10
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 47
$39,048Year 1
$55,464Year 5
$63,610Year 10
Accounting and Computer Science.Associate degree · Broad federal field 30
$46,967Year 1
$51,851Year 5
$61,827Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
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
$40,941Year 1
$54,588Year 4
$44,708Year 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$75,2422Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$72,5323Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$70,5284Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other · Associate's Degree$60,4305Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$38,2556Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$33,108Observed 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.
1Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherAssociate's Degree · $60,430 reported+20%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's Degree · $72,532 reported+11%vs same-degree national median$18,128federal debt3Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree · $70,528 reported+2%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $33,108 reported-3%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $75,242 reported-7%vs same-degree national median$22,200federal debt6Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $38,255 reported-13%vs same-degree national median$13,325federal debt
Comparable colleges in SC
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
West Columbia, SC
Midlands Technical College
- Annual net price
- $4,647
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,681
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -97%
Northeastern Technical College
- Annual net price
- $6,913
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,889
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -105%
York Technical College
- Annual net price
- $5,931
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $42,686
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -111%
Spartanburg Community College
- Annual net price
- $2,405
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,828
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -106%
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 | $75,242 | $22,200 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $72,532 | $18,128 | Not reported |
| Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $70,528 | Not available | Not reported |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Associate's Degree | $60,430 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $38,255 | $13,325 | Not reported |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $33,108 | Not available | 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.