Business/Commerce at Stone Child College

A debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.30 puts this program in solid territory financially, though that calculation relies entirely on national benchmarks since Stone Child College's graduate cohorts are too small for the Department of Education to report specific outcomes. Business associate's programs across the country typically produce first-year earnings around $36,600 with median debt near $13,400, and this program's estimated $11,000 debt load would come in meaningfully below that national figure.

The challenge is that Montana has only five schools offering business associate's degrees, and none report detailed graduate outcomes—making it difficult to assess how this specific program stacks up locally or whether the national figures translate to Box Elder's economy. What you can say is that if Stone Child's outcomes track anywhere near the national medians, the debt burden appears manageable relative to early earnings. With 42% of students receiving Pell grants, the school serves a population where keeping debt low matters considerably.

The financial picture looks reasonable on paper, but you're making that judgment based entirely on what similar programs produce elsewhere. Before committing, understand what local employers value from Stone Child graduates specifically and whether the program opens doors in the region your child plans to work.