Is James Sprunt Community College Worth It?

James Sprunt Community College costs little and returns little for most graduates. At under $4,000 a year in net price, your out-of-pocket risk stays low, but median earnings ten years out land near $29,000 , barely above what many jobs in rural Duplin County pay without a degree. The financial picture is mixed, and which program you pick decides everything.

Nursing is the one clear win. The associate nursing program graduates earn roughly two and a half times what the teacher education associate graduates make, and it plugs directly into hospital and clinic demand across eastern North Carolina. The criminal justice certificate also holds up, clearing $32,000 for a credential that takes less time and money than a degree. Everything else struggles. The general studies associate and the teacher education associate both pay below the school's own median, which means you can spend two years and still earn less than the typical graduate. Teacher education at around $17,000 is the weakest return on the list.

The biggest risk here is finishing at all. Fewer than four in ten students graduate, and a half-finished associate degree gives you debt and time spent with no credential to show employers. Low tuition does not protect you if you never cross the line.

This school fits you if you want to enter nursing or corrections without borrowing much. If you're under $30,000 in family income, you pay around $2,300 a year, and nursing turns that into a genuine payoff. If your family earns $75,000 to $110,000, your price climbs past $8,000 , still cheap, but only worth it in a program that pays. Aim at nursing, or look elsewhere.