ROI Major

American Sign Language at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College

MN · Associate's Degree · CIP 16.16

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a American Sign Language degree from Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College earn a median salary of $44,669 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in MN, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $47,470. The degree typically pays for itself in 15.9 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

$35,811

Typical Career

$44,669

Top Performers

$60,045

Estimated break-even: 15.9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$298

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,722. Most students can comfortably afford about a $298 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 Minnesota buys what costs $0.94 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

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

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 35.0%
Educational Services 8.6%
Manufacturing 6.7%

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

$47,470

Nominal: $44,669 in Minnesota (COL 94.1% of national avg) · 6.3% 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).

15.9 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 $27,035 $33,772 $42,686
5 Years After Graduation $35,811 $44,669 $60,045
10 Years After Graduation $38,967 $54,615 $69,154

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 $44,669 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in MN, which has a cost-of-living index of 94.1% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $44,669 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9410) = $47,470 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the American Sign Language program at Saint Paul College experience a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $32,381, which increases to $42,432 after five years and reaches $56,069 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary reflects a national equivalent of $45,092.45, indicating that graduates can expect their earnings to maintain a competitive value relative to the national average despite the cost of living in Minnesota being slightly lower than the national index.

The primary industries that employ graduates are Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 35.0%, followed by Construction at 29.2%, and a further 28.1% in Health Care & Social Assistance. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 16 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in American Sign Language appears reasonable. This suggests that while the initial financial returns may take time to materialize, the long-term career prospects and industry demand can provide a solid foundation for a sustainable career.

Compare with Another School

See how the American Sign Language degree at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Ready to apply?

Start your application for American Sign Language at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College.

Apply to Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College

Explore More

Other Degrees at Saint Paul College - A Community & Technical College

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.