Is County College of Morris Worth It?

County College of Morris gives you a low-cost path to a solid return, but only if you pick the right program. At a net price under $10,000 a year and median debt of just $9,000, your downside is limited. You leave with less debt than a single year of tuition at most four-year schools, and median earnings ten years out clear $50,000. That math works.

The catch is that the payoff depends almost entirely on your major. The associate degrees in nursing and allied health both land graduates above $55,000 a year, which is a strong return on a two-year program costing under $20,000 total. These are the reasons to enroll here. If you can get into a health program and finish it, the numbers are hard to beat.

The liberal arts and criminal justice tracks are a different story. Liberal arts graduates earn around $22,700, and criminal justice graduates around $16,500 , both while carrying roughly the same $9,000 to $10,000 in debt. Those earnings sit below what many full-time jobs pay without any degree. If you enroll in one of these programs and stop there, you are paying for a credential that does not move your income. Treat them as transfer steps toward a four-year degree, not endpoints.

The biggest risk here is the 35% graduation rate. Two out of three students do not finish on time, and debt without a credential is the worst outcome. Your cost also climbs with income: you pay around $6,000 a year under $48,000 in family income, but over $14,000 if your family earns above $110,000. For lower-income families aiming at nursing or allied health, this is a low-risk, high-value choice. If you want a liberal arts education for its own sake, the earnings data says look elsewhere or plan firmly to transfer.