Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College

The earnings here are alarmingly low. At $21,483 one year out, graduates are making 40% less than the typical Arkansas vehicle maintenance program and barely above poverty wages for full-time work. Even accounting for the small sample size, this is the bottom 10th percentile in Arkansas—Northwest Technical Institute's similar program produces graduates earning 74% more. For a field where skilled technicians should command solid middle-class wages, these numbers suggest something isn't working.

The debt load is manageable at $9,949, but that's cold comfort when earnings are this depressed. With over half of students receiving Pell grants, many are likely leaving this program financially vulnerable rather than launched into stable careers. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.46 looks reasonable on paper, but when the denominator is only $21,483, you're still talking about a graduate struggling to get by while servicing debt.

With fewer than 30 graduates in the data, there's a chance these numbers aren't representative. But even if the true earnings are 20-30% higher, this program would still lag behind state peers. For families investing in technical training expecting reliable income afterward, these outcomes demand serious questions about job placement support, employer connections, and curriculum quality before enrolling.