ROI Major

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Greenville Technical College

SC · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from Greenville Technical College earn a median salary of $50,823 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in SC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $53,386. The degree typically pays for itself in 12.7 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

$39,998

Typical Career

$50,823

Top Performers

$67,746

Estimated break-even: 12.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$339

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,235. Most students can comfortably afford about a $339 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in South Carolina buys what costs $0.95 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 43.6%
Manufacturing 10.4%
Retail Trade 6.4%

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

$53,386

Nominal: $50,823 in South Carolina (COL 95.2% of national avg) · 5% 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).

12.7 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 $28,409 $37,411 $46,820
5 Years After Graduation $39,998 $50,823 $67,746
10 Years After Graduation $43,983 $57,075 $74,906

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 $50,823 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in SC, which has a cost-of-living index of 95.2% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $50,823 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9520) = $53,386 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program at Greenville Technical College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,505, which increases to $48,539 after five years and reaches $55,769 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of approximately $50,986.34, indicating that graduates can maintain a competitive standard of living despite the cost of living index in South Carolina being slightly lower than the national average.

The primary industries that graduates enter are predominantly in Health Care & Social Assistance, with varying percentages indicating a strong demand for skills in these sectors. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 13.9 years, suggesting that pursuing this program offers a reasonable return on investment over time. Overall, students can anticipate a solid career path with increasing earnings potential and opportunities in essential industries.

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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.