Accounting at Front Range Community College

Front Range Community College's associate's in accounting beats both state and national benchmarks for earnings while keeping debt reasonable—though these figures come from a small graduating class, so they may not be entirely representative.

Starting salary of $38,838 exceeds the state median by about $2,000 and ranks in the 60th percentile among Colorado's accounting programs. The 15% earnings bump by year four suggests graduates are finding stable footing in the profession. The $21,625 in typical debt sits slightly below the Colorado average ($22,944) and well below the 0.56 debt-to-earnings ratio threshold that signals manageable repayment. For perspective, Colorado Technical University—one of the state's pricier options—produces lower starting salaries despite likely higher costs.

The caveat here is sample size: fewer than 30 graduates means one or two outliers could skew these numbers significantly. If your child enrolls, they might find very different outcomes. That said, community college associate's degrees in accounting typically offer practical training at a fraction of four-year costs, and Front Range's numbers suggest graduates are landing actual accounting work rather than just generic office jobs. For families seeking an affordable entry point into a stable field with Colorado job prospects, this program deserves serious consideration—just recognize the data can't predict individual outcomes as reliably as larger programs can.