Is Roxbury Community College Worth It?

Roxbury Community College carries real financial risk, driven by one number: a 10.4% graduation rate. If you don't finish, you pay the net price without getting the credential that lifts earnings, and that outcome is the norm here, not the exception. The median earnings ten years out land below what many jobs pay without any college at all, which tells you the degree only pays off in specific programs.

Nursing is the clear winner. An associate in registered nursing here earns roughly $70,000 a year, nearly double the school-wide median and well above every other program. That's a genuine payoff, and it reflects Boston's steady hospital and healthcare demand. Criminal justice is a distant second in the low $40,000s. Everything else, including business administration and the allied health and teacher education tracks, lands in the low-to-mid $30,000s, close to or below the school's overall median. Those programs do not clear the bar you'd want for the cost.

The net price barely moves across income levels, from about $12,200 for families under $30,000 to $14,200 for those between $75,000 and $110,000. Lower-income families get almost no discount here, so the roughly $12,000 yearly cost hits nearly everyone the same. Pell covers part of it for the 60% who qualify, but you should still expect a real out-of-pocket bill.

This school makes financial sense for you if you're aiming at the nursing program, can commit to finishing, and want a Boston-area healthcare job. For that path, the cost is reasonable against a $70,000 salary. If you're drawn to business, teaching, or general health sciences, the earnings don't justify the price, and the low completion rate makes the gamble worse. Look at those programs elsewhere or have a concrete transfer plan before enrolling.