Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Minneapolis Community and Technical College

Minneapolis Community and Technical College's automotive program delivers first-year earnings of $58,745—a figure that puts it in the 95th percentile nationally and well above Minnesota's median of $41,672 for similar programs. That's roughly $17,000 more than the typical Minnesota graduate in this field earns, and significantly stronger than even top-performing programs like St Cloud Technical ($45,960) and Alexandria Technical ($45,951). With an estimated debt load around $11,651 based on comparable programs at the school, graduates would owe about 20 cents for every dollar earned in year one.

The debt figure deserves context: it's derived from other programs at Minneapolis Community and Technical College since the auto program's graduate pool is too small for the Department of Education to publish. However, this estimate aligns with both state and national medians for automotive certificates, suggesting it's likely in the right ballpark. At this debt-to-earnings ratio, a standard repayment plan would be manageable even if graduates entered positions paying closer to the state average, though the program's track record suggests something different is happening here—whether stronger employer connections, better training alignment, or geographic advantages in the Minneapolis market.

For families weighing trade programs, these estimated numbers suggest strong value, especially given that 40% of students receive Pell grants. The earnings premium over peer programs is substantial enough that even if actual outcomes vary somewhat from these estimates, the program appears positioned well above typical automotive training options in Minnesota.