ROI Major

Real Estate at Cisco College

TX · Certificate Degree · CIP 52.15

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Real Estate degree from Cisco College earn a median salary of $38,377 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in TX, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $41,669. The degree typically pays for itself in 28.3 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

$26,970

Typical Career

$38,377

Top Performers

$55,111

Estimated break-even: 28.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$256

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,198. Most students can comfortably afford about a $256 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.0x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.5x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Texas buys what costs $0.92 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Retail Trade, Public Administration.

Where Certificate Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 41.6%
Retail Trade 10.1%
Public Administration 7.4%

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

$41,669

Nominal: $38,377 in Texas (COL 92.1% of national avg) · 8.6% 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).

28.3 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 $24,637 $36,560 $56,170
5 Years After Graduation $26,970 $38,377 $55,111
10 Years After Graduation $35,184 $46,435 $60,144

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 $38,377 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in TX, which has a cost-of-living index of 92.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $38,377 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9210) = $41,669 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Real Estate program at Cisco College experience a gradual increase in earnings over time, with median earnings of $36,560 one year post-graduation, rising to $38,377 after five years, and reaching $46,435 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median earnings five years after graduation equate to approximately $41,668.84 nationally, indicating a competitive salary relative to national standards, especially considering Texas's cost of living index of 0.921.

The majority of graduates enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sectors, with 41.6%, 36.5%, and 17.3% of graduates finding employment in this field. The estimated break-even point for those pursuing a degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately 28.3 years, suggesting a long-term investment in education. Overall, while the earnings trajectory shows promise, the return on investment may require careful consideration of the time needed to recoup educational costs.

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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.