10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$237,010at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Dutchess Community College
⌖ Poughkeepsie, NY · 8 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$237,010 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
−108%Modeled 10-year ROI
$43,325Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Dutchess Community College
What does Dutchess Community College cost?
Dutchess Community College reports an average annual net price of $10,065 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Dutchess Community College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $43,325 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Dutchess Community College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $10,039. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Dutchess Community College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 8 field-and-credential outcomes at Dutchess 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−$196,750
$8,000Annual price−$228,750
$10,000Current college-wide context−$236,750
$16,000Annual price−$260,750
$24,000Annual price−$292,750
$32,000Annual price−$324,750
$40,000Annual price−$356,750
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
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$10,065Average net price / year
$17,159Cost of attendance
$10,039Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$106/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$43,325Median earnings · year 5 after completion
29.7%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
3,824Student 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
28% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
118 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
43% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$39,738Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$46,996Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$50,509Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income33%
Middle income47%
Higher income52%
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
$109,749Year 1
$128,254Year 5
$134,060Year 10
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering.Associate degree · Broad federal field 14
$33,372Year 1
$83,137Year 5
$106,080Year 10
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection.Associate degree · Broad federal field 46
Not availableYear 1
Not availableYear 5
$100,908Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$77,387Year 1
$90,877Year 5
$99,276Year 10
Computer Programming.Associate degree · Broad federal field 11
$38,861Year 1
$79,787Year 5
$95,189Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
$38,967Year 1
$57,867Year 5
$89,103Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Associate degree · Broad federal field 43
$32,986Year 1
$58,540Year 5
$80,382Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Associate degree · Broad federal field 52
$32,687Year 1
$58,075Year 5
$71,298Year 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
$28,509Year 1
$44,694Year 4
$43,325Year 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$105,8012Engineering, General · Associate's Degree$75,2463Criminal Justice and Corrections · Associate's Degree$52,8044Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$48,4815Human Services, General · Associate's Degree$41,7886Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$40,5707Visual and Performing Arts, General · Associate's Degree$31,6808Communication and Media Studies · Associate's Degree$30,308Observed 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.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $105,801 reported+31%vs same-degree national median$21,868federal debt2Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's Degree · $52,804 reported+13%vs same-degree national median$11,515federal debt3Human Services, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $41,788 reported+6%vs same-degree national median$14,324federal debt4Engineering, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $75,246 reported+3%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree · $48,481 reported-1%vs same-degree national median$7,646federal debt6Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $31,680 reported-3%vs same-degree national median$5,500federal debt
Comparable colleges in NY
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Jamestown, NY
Jamestown Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,850
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,252
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -108%
Mohawk Valley Community College
- Annual net price
- $8,987
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,303
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -108%
Onondaga Community College
- Annual net price
- $8,562
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,591
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -107%
SUNY Broome Community College
- Annual net price
- $8,940
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $44,039
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -104%
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 | $105,801 | $21,868 | Not reported |
| Engineering, General | Associate's Degree | $75,246 | Not available | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $52,804 | $11,515 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $48,481 | $7,646 | Not reported |
| Human Services, General | Associate's Degree | $41,788 | $14,324 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $40,570 | $11,000 | Not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Associate's Degree | $31,680 | $5,500 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Associate's Degree | $30,308 | $10,998 | 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.