10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$135,474at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Delaware County Community College
Media, PA · 19 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 19 · Federal debt reported for 13
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$135,474 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
29.1 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−66%Estimated return after 10 years
$52,083Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
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.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $6,500 housing and food allowance plus $5,000 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
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−$109,170
$7,000Current college-wide context−$137,170
$8,000Annual price−$141,170
$16,000Annual price−$173,170
$24,000Annual price−$205,170
$32,000Annual price−$237,170
$40,000Annual price−$269,170
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Associate degrees
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
1,196 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Pennsylvania run 2% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$6,576Average net price / year
$13,530Cost of attendance
$13,250Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$140/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$52,083Median earnings · year 5 after completion
24.1%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
6,861Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Delaware County Community College
What does Delaware County Community College cost?
Delaware County Community College reports an average annual net price of $6,576 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Delaware County Community College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $52,083 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Delaware County Community College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $13,250. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Delaware County Community College worth the same?
No. The current release contains 19 field-and-degree records for Delaware County Community College; 19 report year-4 earnings and 13 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
12,013Students enrolled at any point
12,013Undergraduate students
Not availableGraduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
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
22% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
111 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
39% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$40,947Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$49,915Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$50,210Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income32%
Middle income44%
Higher income57%
Undergraduate student composition
White40%
Black33%
Hispanic10%
Asian5%
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 every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$42,896Year 1
$56,647Year 4
$52,083Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$115,0912Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$90,9633Criminal Justice and Corrections · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$88,6304Engineering, General · Associate's Degree$79,8505Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$72,8326Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$55,8577Health and Medical Administrative Services · Associate's Degree$55,3288Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications · Associate's Degree$55,189Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
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.
1Criminal Justice and CorrectionsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $88,630 reported+54%vs same-degree national median$16,625federal debt2Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's Degree · $55,328 reported+49%vs same-degree national median$17,493federal debt3Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $115,091 reported+44%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree · $55,857 reported+15%vs same-degree national median$10,684federal debt5Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $90,963 reported+13%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt6Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's Degree · $72,832 reported+11%vs same-degree national median$21,136federal debt
Comparable colleges in PA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Newtown, PA
Bucks County Community College
- Annual net price
- $6,389
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $51,200
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -70%
Community College of Beaver County
- Annual net price
- $6,937
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $49,182
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -80%
Schuylkill Technology Center
- Annual net price
- $6,797
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,077
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -95%
Lehigh Carbon Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,203
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,948
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -86%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 19 field-and-degree records in the current release.
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
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.