Holyoke Community College
Public Community College in Holyoke, MA. Six-year graduation rate 29%. Median 10-year earnings $37,277.
Students who entered Holyoke Community College reach a median of $37,277 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. Only 29% finish within six years, so roughly three in four students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $8,250.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.22 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 29% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 29% graduate within six years. 62% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about two in five 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. Transfer-out runs to 18% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. Retention drops to 49% 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 3,164 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $8,253 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: $6,522 at $0–30k, $13,014 at $110k+. About 70% get grants averaging $5,305, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 28% 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 · 392 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 | $6,522 |
| $30–48k | $6,637 |
| $48–75k | $8,688 |
| $75–110k | $9,415 |
| $110k+ | $13,014 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 895 of these 3,164 students, totalling $5,134,501 — an average of $5,737 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Hampden 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)