Is Community College of Philadelphia Worth It?

Community College of Philadelphia gives you a mixed financial picture that swings hard on your major. The typical graduate earns $40,852 ten years out while carrying just $10,750 in debt, so the debt load stays manageable no matter what you study. The problem is that median earnings barely clear what a full-time worker makes without any degree, so the average outcome here is weak.

Your major decides everything. Nursing pays $63,005, roughly $22,000 more than the school-wide median, and its graduates leave with about $13,000 in debt against a salary that services it easily. Allied Health at $59,937 and Dental Support at $51,273 land in the same strong tier. Computer/Information Technology and Clinical/Medical Laboratory both sit near $48,000, still comfortably above the median. Every top program here is a healthcare or technical associate degree tied directly to Philadelphia's hospital and clinical job market. If you enroll for a general track outside these fields, expect earnings closer to the low $40,000s.

The real risk is the 19.70% graduation rate. Fewer than one in five students finish, and if you drop out you still owe net price without the credential that makes these salaries possible. Paying $13,306 a year for a degree you don't complete is the worst outcome, and the odds of it happening here are high.

The net price tiers are unusual: you pay more as your income rises, from $12,031 under $30k to $19,006 over $110k. That gap is small, so lower-income families get only a modest discount. This school fits you if you're aiming for nursing, allied health, or a lab or IT credential and you're confident you'll finish. Look elsewhere if you want a general associate degree with no specific career target, since the payoff there is thin.