ROI Major

Education, General at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

IN · Associate's Degree · CIP 13.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Education, General degree from Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana earn a median salary of $46,270 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in IN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $51,184. The degree typically pays for itself in 19.6 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$34,045

Typical Career

$46,270

Top Performers

$53,305

Estimated break-even: 19.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$308

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,856. Most students can comfortably afford about a $308 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.2x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Indiana buys what costs $0.90 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Construction, Manufacturing.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.1%
Construction 9.6%
Manufacturing 7.9%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$51,184

Nominal: $46,270 in Indiana (COL 90.4% of national avg) · 10.6% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

19.6 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $18,960 $25,504 $33,914
5 Years After Graduation $34,045 $46,270 $53,305
10 Years After Graduation $44,785 $51,028 $61,184

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $46,270 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in IN, which has a cost-of-living index of 90.4% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $46,270 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9040) = $51,184 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Education, General program at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $25,504, which increases to $46,270 five years post-graduation and reaches $51,028 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $51,183.63, reflecting the impact of the cost of living in Indiana, which has a COL index of 0.904 compared to the national average of 1.0.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 45.5% in the field initially, followed by 34.1% and 24.9% in subsequent roles. The estimated break-even point for pursuing this degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 19.6 years, suggesting that while the initial financial return may be modest, the long-term benefits could justify the investment in education. Overall, the return on investment for this program appears to be favorable for those committed to a career in education and related fields.

Compare with Another School

See how the Education, General degree at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for Education, General at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.

Apply to Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Explore More

Other Degrees at Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.