Accounting at Mohave Community College

The $15,979 in estimated debt for this program sits notably below what accounting students at peer institutions typically carry—about $3,400 less than the national median and $2,500 less than Arizona's typical burden. That's meaningful when your first-year earnings hover around $37,000, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.43. At this level, loan payments would claim roughly 5% of pre-tax income under standard repayment terms, leaving more breathing room than many associate degree programs provide.

What complicates the picture is that Arizona's accounting graduates from similar programs typically earn about $38,000 first-year, and nearby community colleges like Pima show comparable outcomes. This suggests the local market for associate-level accounting roles doesn't vary wildly across institutions in the state. The real question becomes whether Mohave's location in Kingman—a smaller market compared to Phoenix or Tucson—affects job availability and advancement potential, since the earnings estimates here don't capture local employment dynamics.

The fundamentals look workable: lower debt than peers, earnings that align with state norms, and a field with clear entry-level positions. But with 31% of students on Pell grants, many families here are cost-sensitive. The modest debt load helps, though you'll want to verify actual job placement rates in the Kingman area specifically, since comparable programs elsewhere can't tell you whether local accounting firms are actively hiring associate-level graduates.