Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Gadsden State Community College

⌖ Gadsden, AL · 11 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$205,660 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
−106%Modeled 10-year ROI
$43,840Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it
A QUICK READ

What the numbers say about Gadsden State Community College

What does Gadsden State Community College cost?

Gadsden State Community College reports an average annual net price of $3,515 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.

What do Gadsden State Community College graduates earn?

The observed median earnings figure is $43,840 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.

How much federal debt do Gadsden State Community College graduates have?

Median federal debt for completer borrowers is not reportable in the current record.

Is every degree at Gadsden State Community College worth the same?

No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 11 field-and-credential outcomes at Gadsden State 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.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$205,660at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$194,0600
2
4
6
8
−$205,66010
Years after graduationBreak-even: years
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 in-state tuition$4,272
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$7,368
Sticker price
Average net price$3,515
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$10,189
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
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.

What stays fixed$43,840 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is this college’s institution-wide average net price, not your personal aid offer. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
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
Certificates
Campus setting
City
Admissions
Open admission
Delivery
Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation
Historically Black college or university
Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$3,515Average net price / year
$10,189Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$43,840Median earnings · year 5 after completion
38.2%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
3,548Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$3,438
$30–48k$2,617
$48–75k$5,330
$75–110k$6,081
$110k+$8,944
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$43,840
Year 6$29,795
Year 10$32,937
Full-time retention
62.5%
Part-time retention
36.8%
Completion within 200% of normal time
38.6%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

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.

Pell Grant students23%

Complete within 150% of the expected time

29% received a Pell Grant within eight years
Parent borrowingNot available

Median Parent PLUS debt

Borrower count not reported
First-generation studentsNot available

Median federal student debt

Three-year repayment not reported

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.

46thEarnings percentile
22thCompletion percentile
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.

$42,432Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$7,774Median federal debt across categories that report debt
9%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$37,458Year 1
$46,678Year 4
$43,840Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

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$76,7392Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$59,4443Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$55,8014Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Associate's Degree$53,9745Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$45,3516Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$42,4327Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$41,8728Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$40,904

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

Strongest relative outcomes

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.

1Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $59,444 reported+6%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $42,432 reported-4%vs same-degree national median$7,774federal debt3Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $76,739 reported-5%vs same-degree national median$10,850federal debt4Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $45,351 reported-12%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesAssociate's Degree · $31,533 reported-16%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Precision Metal WorkingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $40,528 reported-17%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in AL

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.

Phenix City, AL

Chattahoochee Valley Community College

Annual net price
$4,244
Observed earnings · year 5
$43,555
Modeled 10-year ROI
-107%
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Dothan, AL

George C Wallace Community College-Dothan

Annual net price
$1,170
Observed earnings · year 5
$42,842
Modeled 10-year ROI
-112%
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Andalusia, AL

Lurleen B Wallace Community College

Annual net price
$2,792
Observed earnings · year 5
$40,970
Modeled 10-year ROI
-121%
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Boaz, AL

Snead State Community College

Annual net price
$3,249
Observed earnings · year 5
$39,738
Modeled 10-year ROI
-127%
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ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt2023–24 awards
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree$76,739$10,850Not reported
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$59,444Not available100
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree$55,801Not availableNot reported
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsAssociate's Degree$53,974Not availableNot reported
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$45,351Not available35
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree$42,432$7,774Not reported
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$41,872Not available50
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's Degree$40,904Not availableNot reported
Precision Metal WorkingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$40,528Not available63
Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesAssociate's Degree$31,533Not availableNot reported
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesAssociate's Degree$18,504Not availableNot 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.