Accounting at Mt Hood Community College

This accounting program carries an estimated $15,979 in debt—notably lower than what similar programs typically require nationwide ($19,354) or elsewhere in Oregon ($20,031). That's a meaningful difference when you're earning around $37,000 in your first year, putting the debt-to-earnings ratio at a manageable 0.43.

The caveat: both figures are estimates based on peer programs nationally, since Mt Hood's graduate cohort was too small for the Department of Education to publish. What we can say is that Oregon accounting programs with reported data suggest stronger earning potential—Chemeketa and Portland Community College graduates earn in the low $40,000s, about 10-15% more than what comparable programs nationally produce. Whether Mt Hood's graduates follow the Oregon pattern or the national one makes a practical difference of several thousand dollars annually.

The relatively light debt load provides some cushion against that uncertainty. Even if earnings land at the lower end of expectations, you're looking at a debt burden of less than half a year's salary—a threshold that typically signals manageable repayment. For parents weighing this option, the key question is whether the program's local employer connections are strong enough to deliver Oregon-level outcomes rather than the national baseline.