Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management at Cosumnes River College

Based on comparable IT administration programs across California, this associate's degree appears positioned near the state median, with estimated first-year earnings around $40,000 and debt around $17,500. That 0.44 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests graduates would owe roughly five months of their first year's salary—a manageable burden if those earnings estimates hold true for Cosumnes River students.

The challenge here is uncertainty. While the state's median provides some guidance, California's IT programs show notable variation in outcomes, and community colleges often serve different populations than the private schools that comprise most of the comparable data. The $40K estimate sits squarely between programs like Laurus College ($40,730) and Asher College ($36,560), but without knowing where Cosumnes River's graduates actually land in that range, parents are making decisions with incomplete information.

What matters most is whether this credential leads somewhere. If it's a stepping stone toward a bachelor's degree or provides direct entry into IT roles in Sacramento's state government or healthcare sectors, the modest debt load makes sense. But if graduates struggle to find work matching these peer-program earnings, that $17,500 becomes harder to justify. Before committing, verify where recent graduates actually work and whether local employers recognize this program—those practical outcomes matter more than statistical estimates when the school's own data isn't available.