10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$175,000at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
San Antonio College
⌖ San Antonio, TX · 11 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$175,000 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.
85.0 yrsModeled economic break-even
−88%Modeled 10-year ROI
$47,334Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about San Antonio College
What does San Antonio College cost?
San Antonio College reports an average annual net price of $4,585 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do San Antonio College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $47,334 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do San Antonio College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $10,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at San Antonio College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 11 field-and-credential outcomes at San Antonio 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−$156,660
$5,000Current college-wide context−$176,660
$8,000Annual price−$188,660
$16,000Annual price−$220,660
$24,000Annual price−$252,660
$32,000Annual price−$284,660
$40,000Annual price−$316,660
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
- 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
$4,585Average net price / year
$12,343Cost of attendance
$10,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$111/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$47,334Median earnings · year 5 after completion
25.5%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
16,416Student 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
14 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
39% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$37,541Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$44,811Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$54,165Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income33%
Middle income46%
Higher income50%
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
$39,731Year 1
$73,728Year 5
$94,869Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$60,325Year 1
$80,858Year 5
$90,831Year 10
Computer Programming.Associate degree · Broad federal field 11
$44,886Year 1
$70,566Year 5
$85,965Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 15
$41,019Year 1
$55,935Year 5
$79,787Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Associate degree · Broad federal field 43
$46,826Year 1
$54,890Year 5
$70,769Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 43
$59,354Year 1
$65,434Year 5
$70,336Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Associate degree · Broad federal field 40
$38,509Year 1
$54,051Year 5
$70,012Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
$37,592Year 1
$69,498Year 5
$67,570Year 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
$37,395Year 1
$47,341Year 4
$47,334Year 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$80,6822Engineering, General · Associate's Degree$71,7103Biology, General · Associate's Degree$51,4244Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$43,8215Criminal Justice and Corrections · Associate's Degree$42,7756Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$40,3727Social Work · Associate's Degree$39,8358Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · Associate's Degree$39,214Observed 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.
1Biology, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $51,424 reported+15%vs same-degree national median$9,500federal debt2Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationAssociate's Degree · $37,871 reported+5%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssociate's Degree · $39,214 reported+4%vs same-degree national median$10,375federal debt4Social WorkAssociate's Degree · $39,835 reported+1%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $80,682 reported-0%vs same-degree national median$17,338federal debt6Engineering, GeneralAssociate's Degree · $71,710 reported-2%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in TX
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
San Antonio, TX
St Philip's College
- Annual net price
- $4,273
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,227
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -89%
McLennan Community College
- Annual net price
- $5,051
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,643
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -87%
Kilgore College
- Annual net price
- $5,364
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,073
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
Tarrant County College District
- Annual net price
- $4,337
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,271
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -83%
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 | $80,682 | $17,338 | Not reported |
| Engineering, General | Associate's Degree | $71,710 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Associate's Degree | $51,424 | $9,500 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $43,821 | $10,318 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | $42,775 | $13,003 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $40,372 | $10,500 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Associate's Degree | $39,835 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's Degree | $39,214 | $10,375 | Not reported |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | Associate's Degree | $37,871 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Associate's Degree | $33,485 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Associate's Degree | $31,464 | Not available | 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.