DegreeVerdict
ROI Calculator
Home›Majors›Data Processing
ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a associate's degree in Data Processing worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 21 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$24,677 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

13.0 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−23%Estimated return after 10 years
$53,247Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

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$53,247 observed annual earnings · 2 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$53,247Typical earnings four years after completion
$46,740Average earnings five years after completion
$16,959Typical federal student debt
60thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
1Degrees awarded in 2024–25
21College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Data Processing

How much do Data Processing associate's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $53,247 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $16,959. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Data Processing?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $48,306 to $58,860 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Data Processing?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 1 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$50,824
Federal debt
$10,718
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$53,247
Federal debt
$16,959
Programs in the comparison
21
21 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$84,099
Federal debt
$21,750
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$167,605
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$48,306National median$53,24775th percentile$58,860
21 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$58,86075th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$16,959Median federal debt across programs that report it
0Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

American Public University System

$63,673 four years after completionCharles Town, WV · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

New Mexico State University-Dona Ana

$9,750 among completer borrowersLas Cruces, NM · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

Trident Technical College

54 reported awards in 2024–25Charleston, SC · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$62,707Observed year-4 earnings$37,133
$1,406Annual college-wide average net price$14,670
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

21 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 21 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1American Public University System$63,6732Miami University-Hamilton$62,7073Miami University-Middletown$62,7074Miami University-Oxford$62,7075Greenville Technical College$59,4026Spartanburg Community College$58,8607York Technical College$56,2918Midlands Technical College$53,6189New Mexico State University-Dona Ana$53,24710New Mexico State University-Grants$53,247

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Computer Occupations, All Other$116,580 median wage435,370 jobs nationwide+5.1% projected growth through 2035 · 27,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$55,940–$188,470 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Associate's Degree

Computer and Information Sciences, General

Year-4 earnings
$54,238
Federal debt
$14,440
142 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management

Year-4 earnings
$56,486
Federal debt
$21,480
135 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications

Year-4 earnings
$55,935
Federal debt
$21,874
103 reporting programs →Associate's Degree

Computer Programming

Year-4 earnings
$59,646
Federal debt
$17,108
57 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

SC8 programs$53,100 average earnings

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.