Is Santa Fe Community College Worth It?

Santa Fe Community College gives you a mixed financial picture that leans heavily on which program you pick. The overall median earnings of $38,005 ten years out sit close to what a full-time worker at higher wages earns, and with median debt around $13,000, you won't be buried. But the 24.70% graduation rate is the real risk here: three out of four students don't finish, and an unfinished credential leaves you with the debt and none of the earnings bump.

Nursing is the clear payoff. At $62,260, the associate nursing program earns nearly double what business administration ($36,852) or accounting ($35,060) graduates make, and it reflects steady demand for nurses in the Santa Fe area. If you can get into and complete nursing, this school pays for itself fast.

The allied health and medical assisting associate is the weak spot. At $25,967, those earnings barely clear entry-level wages and don't justify the same net price you'd pay for nursing. Business and accounting land in the middle: solid, not spectacular, and roughly what a two-year credential in those fields returns anywhere.

On price, the tiers work as you'd expect. Under $30k income, you pay $7,937. between $48k and $75k, you pay $11,033. That's a real gap, and the mid-income tier gets the least help relative to what it costs. Even so, no tier here is expensive by college standards.

This school fits you if you're targeting nursing or want a low-cost associate to transfer credits before a four-year degree. Look elsewhere if you're aiming at medical assisting as a standalone career, or if you're the kind of student who struggles to finish, since the completion odds here are the biggest threat to any return.