Agricultural Business and Management at Aims Community College

Agricultural business programs typically produce modest first-year earnings—around $37,400 based on national data for associate degrees in this field—and Aims' estimated debt load of roughly $12,000 aligns with what similar community college programs carry. That debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.32 suggests graduates could reasonably pay off their loans within a couple years if they stay on track, which is manageable compared to many career pathways requiring four-year degrees.

The challenge here is that agriculture is heavily regional and tied to local industry conditions. Colorado has only five schools offering this associate degree, and none report sufficient graduate data for direct comparison. This means you're evaluating the program somewhat blind—peer programs nationally suggest modest but stable earnings, but whether Aims specifically connects students to Colorado's agricultural employers in Greeley and the surrounding region matters enormously for outcomes. The relatively low Pell grant rate (17%) might indicate the program attracts students already embedded in farming communities with family connections, which could actually improve job prospects beyond what earnings estimates suggest.

If your child has clear agricultural career plans and connections in Colorado, the low debt makes this a relatively safe bet. But without school-specific outcomes data, you're banking on the program's local industry ties rather than proven graduate success metrics. Talk directly with Aims about job placement rates and employer partnerships before committing.