10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$336,090at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Pickens Technical College
⌖ Aurora, CO · 6 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$336,090 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
−163%Modeled 10-year ROI
$32,031Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Pickens Technical College
What does Pickens Technical College cost?
Pickens Technical College reports an average annual net price of $6,600 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Pickens Technical College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $32,031 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Pickens Technical College graduates have?
Median federal debt for completer borrowers is not reportable in the current record.
Is every degree at Pickens Technical College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 6 field-and-credential outcomes at Pickens Technical 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−$309,690
$7,000Current college-wide context−$337,690
$8,000Annual price−$341,690
$16,000Annual price−$373,690
$24,000Annual price−$405,690
$32,000Annual price−$437,690
$40,000Annual price−$469,690
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Council on Occupational Education
- Main award level
- Certificates
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$6,600Average net price / year
$12,439Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$32,031Median earnings · year 5 after completion
75.6%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
686Student 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
Pell receipt not reportedMedian Parent PLUS debt
Borrower count not reportedMedian federal student debt
Three-year repayment not reportedSource: 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
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 51
$48,791Year 1
$54,051Year 5
$68,098Year 10
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 47
$33,239Year 1
$44,206Year 5
$54,757Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 51
$32,883Year 1
$43,147Year 5
$47,119Year 10
Casino Operations and Services.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 12
$30,534Year 1
$35,666Year 5
$40,342Year 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
$30,684Year 1
$44,693Year 4
$32,031Year 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.
1Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$70,0792Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$57,8933Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$55,9124Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$46,7375Dental Support Services and Allied Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$40,7616Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$36,349Observed 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.
1Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $36,349 reported+38%vs same-degree national median$9,500federal debt2Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $46,737 reported+36%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Environmental Control Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $57,893 reported+28%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $70,079 reported+25%vs same-degree national median$11,000federal debt5Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $40,761 reported+21%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $55,912 reported+8%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in CO
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Denver, CO
Emily Griffith Technical College
- Annual net price
- $7,197
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $36,698
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -140%
Lamar Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,161
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $37,777
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -133%
Technical College of the Rockies
- Annual net price
- $3,796
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $40,667
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -122%
Pikes Peak State College
- Annual net price
- $6,007
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,288
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -108%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $70,079 | $11,000 | Not reported |
| Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $57,893 | Not available | Not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $55,912 | Not available | 108 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $46,737 | Not available | Not reported |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $40,761 | Not available | 37 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $36,349 | $9,500 | 13 |
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.