Is Hopkinsville Community College Worth It?

Hopkinsville Community College costs little and pays back modestly, with one program doing the heavy lifting. The overall median earnings ten years out sit near what you'd make in many jobs that require no degree at all, so the financial case here hinges almost entirely on which program you pick.

Nursing is the reason to come. The associate nursing track earns more than double what any other program here reports, and it carries about the same debt load as the rest. Pair a nursing salary with roughly $11K in median debt and you have a clean, fast payoff. Kentucky and the surrounding region need nurses, and this is a credible path into that work.

Everything else is a warning. Business administration, liberal arts, allied health, and health administration all land in the low $20Ks a decade out. Those numbers barely clear entry-level wages, and for the price of two years plus lost time, the return is thin. If you enroll in one of these and stop at the associate, plan on it being a stepping stone to a bachelor's elsewhere, not an endpoint.

The 36.7% graduation rate is the real risk. Low tuition only pays off if you finish, and here most students don't. Debt with no credential is the worst outcome, and it's the most common one.

Cost stays flat and cheap if your family earns under $48K, then climbs steadily. If your household is over $110K, you'll pay nearly three times what lower-income families do, though it's still low in absolute terms.

Come here for nursing, or come to transfer credits cheaply toward a four-year degree. If you want a terminal associate in business or general studies expecting a solid salary, look elsewhere.