Business/Commerce at Community College of Rhode Island

A debt load of $11,000 for an associate's degree positions this program favorably against national norms, where business degree holders at community colleges typically borrow about $13,400. The estimated debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.30 suggests manageable repayment—at roughly a third of first-year income, loan payments shouldn't overwhelm a graduate's budget. With 43% of students receiving Pell grants, the program serves a population where keeping debt low matters considerably.

The earnings trajectory tells an encouraging story. While first-year earnings around $36,600 (based on what similar associate's-level business programs produce nationally) won't impress anyone, the jump to $51,000 by year four represents meaningful income growth. That's a 39% increase that suggests graduates are either advancing within entry-level positions or leveraging their credential to move into better-paying roles. For a two-year degree, that kind of mobility has real value.

The catch is that you're evaluating this program almost entirely through the lens of peer institutions—both the initial earnings figure and debt estimate come from national comparables since the graduate cohort here was too small for the DOE to publish specific outcomes. That makes this less about Community College of Rhode Island's track record and more about whether associate's degrees in business generally deliver. The financial picture looks reasonable, but without school-specific data, you're betting on the pattern holding rather than on proven local results.