Is North Central Texas College Worth It?

North Central Texas College keeps costs low and debt manageable, which is the core of its financial case. You pay $6,714 a year and leave with median debt around $11,250, well below what a four-year degree typically loads on. Median earnings ten years out sit at $45,809, so the money you spend here comes back reasonably fast if you finish.

Finishing is the catch. The graduation rate is under 35%, so more than six in ten students don't complete on time. Low debt only protects you if you walk out with a credential. If you enroll, treat completion as the whole game, because dropping out with even modest debt and no degree is the worst outcome this school produces.

Health careers are where the return is real. The associate nursing track pays about $57,318, and allied health follows at roughly $49,058. Both carry higher debt (around $15,000 to $17,000), but the earnings justify it. Practical and vocational nursing pays less at $36,852 but keeps debt under $10,000, so the ratio still works. Liberal arts and general studies is the weak spot: about $28,909 in earnings, which barely clears entry-level wages. Use that path as a transfer step to a four-year school, not an endpoint.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families. Under $48k, you pay around $5,400. above $75k, closer to $9,500. That's still cheap, but higher earners lose the low-income discount, so the value gap narrows for you.

This school fits you if you want a nursing or allied health credential without borrowing heavily, or if you plan to transfer credits cheaply. Look elsewhere if you want a terminal liberal arts degree expecting strong pay, or if you're unlikely to finish.