These public, two-year (community) colleges enroll over 40% low-income students at the school, and have relatively high outcomes for those students. In total, low-income students at these schools averaged at least $30,000 in earnings 10 years after they first enrolled at the school. In addition, over 70% of all borrowers at these schools were successfully repaying their loans three years after they left school. It’s important to know that both the college you select and the program you enroll in can have an impact on your post-college earnings – schools that offer more technical or health programs, or where a lot of students transfer to a four-year college, often have higher earnings. Ask the colleges you are considering attending for more information.
| State | Community College | Share of Low-Income Students | Average Net Price | Percentage Repaying Loans | Average Earnings |
| California | Glendale Community College | 41% | $3,057 | 77% | $34,800 |
| Connecticut | Naugatuck Valley Community College | 41% | $6,802 | 75% | $34,100 |
| Connecticut | Three Rivers Community College | 45% | $4,044 | 74% | $31,700 |
| Kansas | Colby Community College | 62% | $7,822 | 80% | $30,300 |
| Kansas | Manhattan Area Technical College | 44% | $13,409 | 78% | $35,100 |
| Kansas | North Central Kansas Technical College | 47% | $10,933 | 72% | $35,200 |
| Massachusetts | North Shore Community College | 46% | $8,150 | 71% | $30,900 |
| Massachusetts | Quinsigamond Community College | 49% | $7,221 | 73% | $32,700 |
| Massachusetts | Springfield Technical Community College | 56% | $8,754 | 73% | $31,200 |
| Maine | York County Community College | 46% | $10,266 | 71% | $31,300 |
| Minnesota | Minnesota State Community and Technical College | 41% | $11,684 | 70% | $30,400 |
| Minnesota | Ridgewater College | 43% | $10,402 | 73% | $33,300 |
| Minnesota | South Central College | 48% | $11,757 | 71% | $31,700 |
| Minnesota | St Cloud Technical and Community College | 45% | $9,443 | 73% | $34,400 |
| Missouri | State Technical College of Missouri | 40% | $9,141 | 83% | $39,100 |
| New Jersey | Middlesex County College | 44% | $5,828 | 77% | $38,600 |
| New Jersey | Union County College | 44% | $4,473 | 71% | $33,200 |
| Pennsylvania | Community College of Beaver County | 42% | $8,893 | 71% | $36,700 |
| Pennsylvania | Lancaster County Career and Technology Center | 56% | $11,589 | 74% | $33,900 |
| Pennsylvania | Luzerne County Community College | 42% | $7,121 | 73% | $31,200 |
| Pennsylvania | Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology | 56% | $6,968 | 76% | $33,400 |
| Rhode Island | Community College of Rhode Island | 47% | $6,598 | 76% | $30,300 |
| South Dakota | Lake Area Technical Institute | 43% | $11,403 | 87% | $35,500 |
| South Dakota | Southeast Technical Institute | 47% | $13,644 | 79% | $34,200 |
| Wisconsin | Chippewa Valley Technical College | 44% | $10,111 | 72% | $32,400 |
Note: These data include only public institutions identified as less-than-four-year schools in IPEDS. In addition, calculations exclude:
- Institutions that do not appear on the College Scorecard consumer website (e.g., institutions that do not award associate or bachelor’s degrees).
- Institutions where fewer than 40% of students are Pell Grant recipients.
- Institutions with fewer than 250 undergraduate degree-seeking students enrolled.
- Institutions with missing data or small n-sizes on repayment, earnings, or graduation rate.
The list is constructed of the remaining community colleges that have a repayment rate of at least 70 percent and average earnings of at least $30,000 for students in the lowest income category (tercile). Average earnings reflect the average earnings of federal financial aid recipients 10 years after they first enrolled at the institution for the lowest income category. Repayment rate reflects the share of undergraduate student borrowers who had paid down at least $1 of their principal balance at three years after entering repayment. Net price reflects the sticker price, less any grant or scholarship aid, for all federal financial aid recipients at the school. Share of low-income students enrolled reflects the share of undergraduate students at the school who received Pell Grants. While the share of undergraduate students who received Pell Grants in a given year is a measure of the access an institution provides to low-income students, it may not capture all low-income students. Students who are undocumented immigrants or foreign nationals are not eligible to receive Pell Grants, and some low-income students may not have completed the FAFSA to receive federal aid, but those students may have similar financial circumstances to Pell recipients, or may be just on the other side of Pell eligibility, creating a cliff effect. Additionally, in some states (such as California), state financial aid may be sufficient to cover costs at community colleges, in particular; so those students may not seek or receive a Pell Grant.