10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$239,512at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Reading Area Community College
⌖ Reading, PA · 6 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$239,512 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
−110%Modeled 10-year ROI
$42,740Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Reading Area Community College
What does Reading Area Community College cost?
Reading Area Community College reports an average annual net price of $9,228 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Reading Area Community College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $42,740 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Reading Area Community College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $8,750. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Reading Area Community College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 6 field-and-credential outcomes at Reading Area 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−$202,600
$8,000Annual price−$234,600
$9,000Current college-wide context−$238,600
$16,000Annual price−$266,600
$24,000Annual price−$298,600
$32,000Annual price−$330,600
$40,000Annual price−$362,600
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
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$9,228Average net price / year
$14,563Cost of attendance
$8,750Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$93/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$42,740Median earnings · year 5 after completion
33.6%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
3,703Student 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
18% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
24 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
31% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$35,504Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$45,465Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$42,559Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income22%
Middle income48%
Higher income54%
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 only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$36,380Year 1
$45,446Year 4
$42,740Year 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.
1Electrical and Power Transmission Installers · Associate's Degree$151,3112Accounting and Related Services · Associate's Degree$51,8173Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$49,2854Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$46,0165Social Work · Associate's Degree$37,280Observed 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.
1Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssociate's Degree · $151,311 reported+114%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $49,285 reported+12%vs same-degree national median$10,500federal debt3Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree · $51,817 reported+9%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Social WorkAssociate's Degree · $37,280 reported-5%vs same-degree national median$11,725federal debt5Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree · $46,016 reported-6%vs same-degree national median$14,650federal 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.
Pleasant Gap, PA
Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology
- Annual net price
- $9,857
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $42,983
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -109%
Luzerne County Community College
- Annual net price
- $9,433
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,009
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -100%
Northampton County Area Community College
- Annual net price
- $12,119
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $44,651
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -102%
Butler County Community College
- Annual net price
- $6,233
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $40,876
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -120%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | Associate's Degree | $151,311 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's Degree | $51,817 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $49,285 | $10,500 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $46,016 | $14,650 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Associate's Degree | $37,280 | $11,725 | Not reported |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | Not available | $19,041 | 8 |
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.