---
title: Chattanooga State Community College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Chattanooga, TN
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Chattanooga State Community College

Chattanooga, TN · Public · Associate-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $37,598 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $19,870 – $56,331 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $7,249 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $5,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 26% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $13,348 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 53% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.19× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $9,598 | derived |

**26% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $7,249 (≈ 19% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $13,586 to $51,224 across 23 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Associate's Degree | $51,224 | $13,500 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Associate's Degree | $47,048 | $13,000 |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General. | Associate's Degree | $45,728 | $12,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Associate's Degree | $39,569 | $13,595 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission Installers. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $37,956 | $5,079 |
| Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $37,651 | not reported |
| Precision Metal Working. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $36,417 | $3,933 |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $35,479 | $7,704 |
| Ground Transportation. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $35,110 | $5,500 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR). | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $33,600 | $5,500 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services. | Associate's Degree | $33,564 | not reported |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $32,077 | $5,415 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions. | Associate's Degree | $31,237 | $12,698 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Associate's Degree | $30,725 | $15,150 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $29,768 | $9,375 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Associate's Degree | $28,465 | not reported |
| Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other. | Associate's Degree | $28,255 | $16,422 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $26,771 | $10,243 |
| Design and Applied Arts. | Associate's Degree | $23,624 | $9,288 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $23,584 | not reported |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $23,553 | not reported |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $16,053 | $7,198 |
| Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services. | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $13,586 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Chattanooga State Community College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?219824

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/chattanooga-state-community-college-tn.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`