10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$175,476at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Vernon College
⌖ Vernon, TX · 7 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$175,476 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.
68.2 yrsModeled economic break-even
−85%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,014Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Vernon College
What does Vernon College cost?
Vernon College reports an average annual net price of $6,404 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Vernon College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $48,014 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Vernon College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $11,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Vernon College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 7 field-and-credential outcomes at Vernon 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−$149,860
$6,000Current college-wide context−$173,860
$8,000Annual price−$181,860
$16,000Annual price−$213,860
$24,000Annual price−$245,860
$32,000Annual price−$277,860
$40,000Annual price−$309,860
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
- Town
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$6,404Average net price / year
$14,564Cost of attendance
$11,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$117/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,014Median earnings · year 5 after completion
21.0%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
2,113Student 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
31% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
13 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
38% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$38,576Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$45,217Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$45,786Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income32%
Middle income46%
Higher income52%
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
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Associate degree · Broad federal field 51
$72,585Year 1
$81,576Year 5
$88,599Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 43
$53,878Year 1
$66,976Year 5
$79,471Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, 1–2 years · Broad federal field 51
$39,898Year 1
$47,119Year 5
$66,619Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Associate degree · Broad federal field 15
$49,855Year 1
$59,848Year 5
$65,194Year 10
Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 15
$43,858Year 1
$50,767Year 5
$65,081Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 51
$41,054Year 1
$52,783Year 5
$60,466Year 10
Boilermaking/Boilermaker.Certificate, less than 1 year · Broad federal field 48
$39,482Year 1
$48,943Year 5
$58,065Year 10
Computer Programming.Associate degree · Broad federal field 11
$34,002Year 1
$62,818Year 5
$56,877Year 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
$40,101Year 1
$53,885Year 4
$48,014Year 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$81,0462Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$60,8913Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$47,7814Precision Metal Working · Associate's Degree$47,5525Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$43,1976Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$21,410Observed 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.
1Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $60,891 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$9,147federal debt2Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $81,046 reported+0%vs same-degree national median$20,000federal debt3Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $43,197 reported-2%vs same-degree national median$12,000federal debt4Precision Metal WorkingAssociate's Degree · $47,552 reported-16%vs same-degree national median$5,500federal debt5Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $47,781 reported-17%vs same-degree national median$16,260federal debt6Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma · $21,410 reported-19%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.
Houston, TX
Houston City College
- Annual net price
- $5,737
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,815
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -86%
McLennan Community College
- Annual net price
- $5,051
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,643
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -87%
Grayson College
- Annual net price
- $5,880
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $49,460
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -78%
Kilgore College
- Annual net price
- $5,364
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,073
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
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 | $81,046 | $20,000 | Not reported |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $60,891 | $9,147 | 95 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $47,781 | $16,260 | 16 |
| Precision Metal Working | Associate's Degree | $47,552 | $5,500 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $43,197 | $12,000 | Not reported |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $21,410 | Not available | 36 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | Not available | $12,170 | 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.