Community College
of Vermont
Public Community College in Montpelier, VT. Six-year graduation rate 20%. Median 10-year earnings $36,234.
Ten-year median earnings of $36,234 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. The six-year graduation rate is 20% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Median debt at graduation is $10,491, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.29 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 20% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 20% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. Just 49% of first-years come back — most of the completion gap opens in year one. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. 24% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Retention drops to 33% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,092 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $14,155 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $12,373 at the $0–30k band to $20,373 at $110k+. 71% of students receive grant aid, averaging $5,019 — common but not automatic. 6% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 149 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $12,373 |
| $30–48k | $12,719 |
| $48–75k | $14,430 |
| $75–110k | $18,658 |
| $110k+ | $20,373 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 196 of these 3,092 students, totalling $1,129,937 — an average of $5,765 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Washington County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)