Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Garden City Community College

Kansas auto tech programs typically produce stronger earnings than Garden City Community College's estimated figures suggest. While peer institutions like WSU's applied sciences campus report first-year earnings above $56,000, and the state median sits near $49,000, this program's estimated $42,900 starting salary tracks closer to the national average. That $6,000 gap below Kansas norms matters when you're considering whether to stay local or attend a program with documented outcomes.

The debt picture looks manageable at an estimated $11,425—lower than both state and national benchmarks for automotive programs. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.27, graduates from comparable programs typically face monthly payments around $130, which is workable on a technician's salary. However, the stronger earnings at other Kansas schools could offset slightly higher borrowing costs within a year or two.

Here's the practical concern: you're evaluating a program based entirely on what similar schools produce, not what Garden City's actual graduates earn. If your student is mechanically inclined and Garden City offers convenience or lower living costs, the estimated debt burden won't be crushing. But given that Kansas has 21 automotive programs with some reporting actual outcomes well above these estimates, it's worth investigating why Garden City's cohort is too small to generate data—and whether programs with documented track records might deliver better value.