Business Administration, Management and Operations at Cleveland Community College

Cleveland Community College's business administration associate's degree carries an estimated $21,232 in debt—roughly $7,250 more than the national median for this program and aligned with what other North Carolina community colleges report. With earnings projections based on peer programs suggesting around $35,246 in the first year, you're looking at a 0.60 debt-to-earnings ratio. That's manageable on paper, but the four-year figure of $29,063 tells a more complicated story: many graduates in this field appear to see their earnings dip rather than climb in subsequent years.

The comparison to nearby community colleges is instructive. Similar programs at Catawba Valley and Davidson-Davie produce first-year earnings above $41,000, while Forsyth Tech graduates start near $40,000. These outcomes suggest Cleveland's program may not be offering the same entry-level opportunities or employer connections, though direct comparison is difficult without confirmed Cleveland-specific data. Nearly half the student body receives Pell grants, indicating this serves students who need solid employment outcomes to justify any debt load.

Given the earnings drop four years out and the higher-than-national debt burden, this program requires careful scrutiny. If your child has options at neighboring community colleges with stronger documented outcomes, those deserve serious consideration. The lack of reported data isn't a red flag about the school's integrity—it simply means we're working with educated guesses rather than actual graduate outcomes for Cleveland specifically.