Bachelor's · Fort Pierce, Florida

Is Graphic Communications at Indian River State College worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 14 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $27,674; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $37,316; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: Not enough borrowers to report; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $11k (likely $11k – $15k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $960 a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in FL; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 14 years (likely 5.8–20+); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$174k (likely −$235k – −$116k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$136k (likely −$261k – −$8k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 43%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26