Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians at DeVry University-Virginia

DeVry University-Virginia graduates earn right at the national median for electrical engineering technology programs, but they're carrying nearly double the typical debt load—$53,062 versus $27,558 nationally. This puts the program in the 5th percentile for debt, meaning 95% of comparable programs nationwide saddle students with less borrowing. Among Virginia's three schools offering this degree, DeVry sits in the middle for earnings but carries the highest debt burden in the state. The 0.79 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates start with debt equal to about 9.5 months of their first-year salary, which is manageable but not ideal given that many engineering technology programs achieve similar outcomes with half the debt.

The positive elements here are genuine: earnings grow 13% over four years to nearly $76,000, and with over 100 graduates in the dataset, these numbers are reliable. DeVry's open admission policy serves students who might not access traditional engineering programs elsewhere, which has real value. However, parents need to wrestle with a straightforward question: is paying twice the typical debt worth earning the same salary? For students with federal loans and access to income-driven repayment, this becomes workable. For those relying on private loans or family resources, the math is harder to justify when other programs deliver similar career outcomes at substantially lower cost.