Business Administration, Management and Operations at City College-Altamonte Springs

The estimated debt burden here—$30,250 based on similar programs at City College—stands out immediately when compared to what other Florida associate's degree programs in business typically require. Most two-year business programs in the state carry closer to $20,000 in debt, and the national median sits at just $14,000. You're looking at roughly $10,000 more in borrowing than the typical business associate's graduate.

That extra debt wouldn't matter as much if earnings were exceptional, but first-year earnings projections from comparable Florida programs suggest around $39,000—right at the state median. Florida's community colleges offering the same credential, like Broward and St. Petersburg, show their graduates earning $47,000-$50,000, which would make higher debt more palatable. The 0.78 debt-to-earnings ratio means your child would owe nearly 10 months of first-year salary, a manageable figure on its face but less attractive when peers at other Florida schools carry significantly less debt for similar outcomes.

The core question is whether City College's model—a selective private institution serving a majority Pell-eligible population—delivers something worth the premium over Florida's public two-year options. Without actual graduate data from this specific program, you're essentially betting on outcomes that might differ from the state averages used here. If cost is a primary concern, comparable programs at Florida's community colleges appear to offer similar earning potential with substantially less debt.