Is Community College of Beaver County Worth It?

Community College of Beaver County gives you a low-cost entry point with a payoff that depends almost entirely on your major. At roughly $7,000 a year net, the total cost stays modest, and median debt of about $15,000 is manageable if you finish. The catch is that only one in five students graduates, so the biggest financial risk here is paying for credits and leaving without a credential.

Nursing is where this school pays off. The associate nursing program clears $53,000 ten years out, well above the school's $45,090 median, and it feeds directly into western Pennsylvania's hospital demand. Practical nursing and the aviation program (Beaver County sits near the Pittsburgh airport corridor) both land in the low $40,000s, solid returns for a two-year credential. Allied health follows close behind.

The liberal arts associate degree is the weak spot. At $24,035, it earns roughly half what nursing does and less than many jobs that require no degree at all. Treat it as a transfer step toward a four-year school, not a stopping point, or the math does not work.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families most. If your household earns under $30,000, you pay about $4,640 a year. above $110,000, you pay closer to $10,400. Even the top tier stays cheaper than most four-year options, but the gap means lower-income families capture the strongest deal here.

This school fits you if you want a nursing, allied health, or aviation credential and plan to finish, or if you want to bank cheap transfer credits before moving on. Look elsewhere if you want a terminal liberal arts degree, since those earnings do not justify even this low cost.