Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Bridgerland Technical College

A debt load around $9,500 for automotive training is manageable when paired with first-year earnings of $38,707—that's a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.25, meaning graduates would owe roughly a quarter of their annual salary. Based on comparable technical programs nationally, this debt level is actually lower than the typical $11,000, while the earnings here exceed what most similar programs produce across the country.

Bridgerland's outcomes land solidly in the middle of Utah's automotive training landscape. The top program in the state (Dixie Technical College) shows significantly higher earnings at over $50,000, suggesting there's meaningful variation in how these programs perform. Still, this program's first-year earnings beat the national median for automotive certificates by nearly $3,000, which isn't trivial for graduates entering a skilled trade where steady work matters more than dramatic salary growth.

The financial math works: even with conservative loan repayment, graduates should be able to manage this debt while building their careers. The real question is whether your child wants to work in automotive repair long-term, since this is a field where earnings depend heavily on specialization, certifications, and eventually opening your own shop. If they're committed to the trade, this represents a low-risk entry point with debt that won't define their financial future.