10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$132,390at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Alpena Community College
⌖ Alpena, MI · 8 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$132,390 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.
31.7 yrsModeled economic break-even
−68%Modeled 10-year ROI
$51,089Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Alpena Community College
What does Alpena Community College cost?
Alpena Community College reports an average annual net price of $3,320 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Alpena Community College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $51,089 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Alpena Community College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $9,024. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Alpena Community College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 8 field-and-credential outcomes at Alpena Community 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−$119,110
$3,000Current college-wide context−$131,110
$8,000Annual price−$151,110
$16,000Annual price−$183,110
$24,000Annual price−$215,110
$32,000Annual price−$247,110
$40,000Annual price−$279,110
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Main award level
- Associate degrees
- Campus setting
- Town
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$3,320Average net price / year
$12,246Cost of attendance
$9,024Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$96/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$51,089Median earnings · year 5 after completion
51.5%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
732Student 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
52% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
22 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
42% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$33,597Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$41,779Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$53,083Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income33%
Middle income57%
Higher income63%
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.
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
$33,191Year 1
$44,378Year 4
$51,089Year 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$126,5782Electrical and Power Transmission Installers · Associate's Degree$108,6903Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$76,7594Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$75,1435Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$72,9696Precision Metal Working · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$62,2037Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$40,6188Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$35,328Observed 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.
1Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $126,578 reported+138%vs same-degree national median$6,500federal debt2Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssociate's Degree · $108,690 reported+53%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $72,969 reported+30%vs same-degree national median$13,500federal debt4Precision Metal WorkingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $62,203 reported+28%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Civil Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree · $76,759 reported+19%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $75,143 reported-7%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in MI
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Muskegon, MI
Muskegon Community College
- Annual net price
- $4,005
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $50,371
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -73%
Monroe County Community College
- Annual net price
- $4,586
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $51,240
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -69%
Washtenaw Community College
- Annual net price
- $3,249
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,863
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -85%
Macomb Community College
- Annual net price
- $1,618
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,736
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -80%
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 | $126,578 | $6,500 | 100 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate's Degree | $108,690 | Not available | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $76,759 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $75,143 | Not available | Not reported |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $72,969 | $13,500 | 19 |
| Precision Metal Working | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $62,203 | Not available | 13 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $40,618 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $35,328 | 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.