Estrella Mountain
Community College
Public Community College in Avondale, AZ. Six-year graduation rate 32%. Median 10-year earnings $44,356.
Ten years after entry, the median Estrella Mountain Community College student earns $44,356 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. The six-year graduation rate is 32% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Median debt at graduation is $7,500, 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 0.17 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 32% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 32% graduate within six years. 69% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. 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. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 44% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. A 25:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 6,359 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $13,003 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Income makes less difference than usual: $10,780 at $0–30k, $17,197 at $110k+. 45% get grants, which means the net price above will not apply to most applicants. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 11% of students.
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 · 880 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 | $10,780 |
| $30–48k | $11,281 |
| $48–75k | $13,247 |
| $75–110k | $15,695 |
| $110k+ | $17,197 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 699 of these 6,359 students, totalling $2,454,227 — an average of $3,511 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Maricopa 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)