Lincoln College
of Technology-Columbia
For-profit Community College in Columbia, MD. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $38,683.
Students who entered Lincoln College of Technology-Columbia reach a median of $38,683 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. The six-year graduation rate of 68% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Median debt at graduation is $11,250, 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
Academics
A 68% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. Retention of 73% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. Retention drops to 48% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 18:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars. As a for-profit two-year institution, outcomes here deserve a harder look than the sector average suggests: for-profit institutions vary enormously, and the sector's aggregate numbers hide both strong and very weak performers.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,742 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $35,206 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. Net price varies modestly by income — $33,616 at $0–30k against $38,159 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 73% of students receive grant aid, averaging $4,167 — common but not automatic. 72% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
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 · 783 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 | $33,616 |
| $30–48k | $32,929 |
| $48–75k | $34,223 |
| $75–110k | $36,772 |
| $110k+ | $38,159 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,249 of these 1,742 students, totalling $8,888,919 — an average of $7,117 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Howard 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)