Computer and Information Sciences at Northland Pioneer College

The debt burden looks manageable here—an estimated $12,500 is well below both the national and state medians for computer science associate programs. However, the estimated earnings of $35,761 fall significantly short of what similar programs in Arizona typically produce. With the state median at $48,236, peer programs suggest graduates in Arizona generally earn about $12,000 more annually than what comparable national programs indicate for this credential.

That earnings gap matters when considering opportunity cost. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.35 appears reasonable on paper, but if graduates could access the higher earning trajectory that other Arizona tech programs deliver, the value equation changes substantially. The question becomes whether Northland Pioneer's location in rural Holbrook limits access to the Phoenix-Tucson tech corridor where most computing jobs cluster, or whether remote work has leveled that geographic disadvantage.

Given the limited actual data and the substantial gap between national and state benchmarks, families should verify where recent graduates actually land jobs and at what salaries. The low debt is a real advantage—your child won't be crushed by payments—but starting $12,000 below the state median means it could take years to catch up financially to peers from other Arizona programs, assuming that gap persists beyond the first year.