Information Science/Studies at Guilford Technical Community College

An associate's degree in Information Science at a North Carolina community college points to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.34 based on national peer programs—meaning graduates typically borrow about one-third of what they earn in their first year. With estimated debt around $13,125 and first-year earnings near $39,000, these figures suggest a manageable financial start compared to many other two-year programs.

The challenge here is that these estimates come from a small pool of similar programs nationwide (just 11 schools reporting earnings data), and none of North Carolina's 25 Information Science programs have publicly available outcomes. This scarcity tells us the field at the associate's level is either genuinely niche or graduates are dispersed enough that schools can't report reliable numbers. That ambiguity matters when you're trying to gauge how this specific program performs in the local job market.

For families weighing this investment, the estimated numbers suggest reasonable value if your student lands in the typical range. But given that 41% of students here receive Pell grants, verify whether the program connects to concrete employment pipelines—IT help desk roles, database administration, or systems support—rather than serving primarily as transfer preparation. The debt load is light enough to absorb if the degree opens doors quickly, but without school-specific outcomes, you'll want direct evidence of job placement before committing.