Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Yuba College

The modest debt burden here tells an encouraging story—at an estimated $11,425, graduates would owe just 29 cents for every dollar earned in their first year. That's manageable even if early earnings come in lower than the $39,836 suggested by comparable California programs. What's less encouraging is that automotive tech programs in the state show wide variation in outcomes. San Joaquin Valley College campuses report graduates earning over $64,000, while most programs cluster around $40,000. Without actual data from Yuba's program specifically, it's hard to know where their graduates land in this range.

The debt figure does carry a silver lining when compared statewide—California's typical automotive associate degree comes with $18,788 in loans, making the estimated $11,425 here look downright affordable. Nationally, graduates in this field earn a median of $42,896, so the state benchmark sits slightly below what you'd see elsewhere. For a two-year credential leading to skilled trade work, the combination of relatively low borrowing and steady demand in automotive services creates a reasonable foundation, assuming the actual outcomes at Yuba align with these peer-program estimates.

If your child is mechanically inclined and interested in automotive work, this program's estimated debt load won't hamstring them financially. But push the school for actual placement rates and starting wages for their specific graduates—those numbers will matter more than statewide averages when it comes to paying back loans and building a career.