10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$201,384at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Essex County College
Newark, NJ · 13 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 13 · Federal debt reported for 6
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$201,384 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−102%Estimated return after 10 years
$44,636Observed 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: $10,500 housing and food allowance plus $4,266 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−$183,640
$4,000Current college-wide context−$199,640
$8,000Annual price−$215,640
$16,000Annual price−$247,640
$24,000Annual price−$279,640
$32,000Annual price−$311,640
$40,000Annual price−$343,640
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
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
1,381 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 New Jersey run 9% above 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
$4,436Average net price / year
$12,506Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$44,636Median earnings · year 5 after completion
19.9%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
5,855Student 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 Essex County College
What does Essex County College cost?
Essex County College reports an average annual net price of $4,436 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Essex County College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $44,636 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Essex County College graduates have?
Median federal debt for completer borrowers is not reportable in the current record.
Is every degree at Essex County College worth the same?
No. The current release contains 13 field-and-degree records for Essex County College; 13 report year-4 earnings and 6 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
Who studied here during the year
9,712Students enrolled at any point
9,712Undergraduate 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
21% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
Borrower count not reportedMedian federal student debt
Three-year repayment not reportedUndergraduate student composition
White6%
Black45%
Hispanic28%
Asian2%
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
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering.Associate degree · Broad federal field 14
$36,674Year 1
$77,901Year 5
$107,201Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
$43,858Year 1
$70,755Year 5
$102,457Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$46,588Year 1
$70,939Year 5
$93,989Year 10
Computer Programming.Associate degree · Broad federal field 11
$31,485Year 1
$65,986Year 5
$87,772Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 51
$47,939Year 1
$60,590Year 5
$86,086Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 51
$50,311Year 1
$70,870Year 5
$82,803Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Associate degree · Broad federal field 52
$37,079Year 1
$56,098Year 5
$72,384Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Associate degree · Broad federal field 43
$32,149Year 1
$51,746Year 5
$70,298Year 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 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
$30,419Year 1
$48,042Year 4
$44,636Year 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 · Associate's Degree$105,6342Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions · Associate's Degree$68,1343Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services · Associate's Degree$61,6354Accounting and Related Services · Associate's Degree$56,2825Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$48,8636Computer Programming · Associate's Degree$48,7587Health/Medical Preparatory Programs · Associate's Degree$46,8128Criminal Justice and Corrections · Associate's Degree$44,621Observed 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.
1Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's Degree · $61,635 reported+46%vs same-degree national median$25,125federal debt2Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssociate's Degree · $68,134 reported+40%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $105,634 reported+31%vs same-degree national median$20,430federal debt4Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree · $56,282 reported+18%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Social Sciences, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $44,106 reported+2%vs same-degree national median$5,851federal debt6Social WorkAssociate's Degree · $40,064 reported+2%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in NJ
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Mays Landing, NJ
Atlantic Cape Community College
- Annual net price
- $8,392
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $44,105
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -104%
Warren County Community College
- Annual net price
- $5,726
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,963
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -85%
Hudson County Community College
- Annual net price
- $7,307
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,503
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -93%
Passaic County Community College
- Annual net price
- $7,761
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,396
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -93%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 13 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $105,634 | $20,430 | Not reported |
| Ophthalmic and Optometric Support Services and Allied Professions | Associate's Degree | $68,134 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's Degree | $61,635 | $25,125 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $56,282 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $48,863 | $6,625 | Not reported |
| Computer Programming | Associate's Degree | $48,758 | Not available | Not reported |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | Associate's Degree | $46,812 | $9,499 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $44,621 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | $44,106 | $5,851 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Associate's Degree | $40,064 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's Degree | $37,715 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $37,177 | $7,302 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Associate's Degree | $34,961 | Not available | Not reported |
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.