-26%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at South Central College fell 26% between 2006 and 2009 (39.8% → 29.3%).
Minnesota · Public · Predominantly associate's
South Central College
North Mankato, Minnesota. 1,890 undergraduate students. 72 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at South Central College
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at South Central College fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (5.3% → 0.0%).
-13pp
150%-time completion
150%-time completion fell 13 pp at South Central College vs the 2003–2007 baseline (28.6% vs 41.7%).
+24%
First-year retention
First-year retention at South Central College rose 24% between 2021 and 2024 (47.6% → 59.0%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
South Central College earnings, debt, and completion vs. the Minnesota median
Each tile compares this institution to the Minnesota median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$45,068+11% · 6→10y
Minnesota median $48,321$40,637
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry28.6%-41% · '97→'09
Minnesota median 54.7%$8,250+357% · '97→'20
At program completion1,890+26% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS59.7%-2% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time—
latest cohort$6,146+148% · '00→'24
out-of-state $6,146SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How South Central College earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at South Central College
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
2.4%Median federal debt $8,250 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $45,068 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
South Central College enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
-41%
South Central College · completion · 150% fell
49.9% → 29.3%
+26%
South Central College · undergrad enrollment rose
1,550 → 1,946
+148%
South Central College · in-state tuition rose
$2,478 → $6,146
+34%
South Central College · out-of-state tuition rose
$4,578 → $6,146
+357%
South Central College · median debt rose
$2,625 → $12,000
-100%
South Central College · cohort default rate fell
14.1% → 0.0%
+36%
South Central College · earnings_median_10yr rose
$33,200 → $45,068
+37%
South Central College · earnings_median_8yr rose
$32,200 → $44,025
+33%
South Central College · earnings_median_6yr rose
$30,600 → $40,637
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
South Central College programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)$76,675Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians$74,712Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$68,415Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications$65,753Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR)$62,793Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies$54,874Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions$54,074Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants$53,007Precision Metal Working$52,960Precision Metal Working$51,760Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$50,802Accounting and Related Services$49,043Business Administration, Management and Operations$44,914Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$43,664Human Services, General$37,041Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$36,264Health and Medical Administrative Services$31,898Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services$27,101
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
18 South Central College programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
MECHANIC & REPAIR TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 47
PRECISION PRODUCTION · CIP 48
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$68,415Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants$53,007Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions$54,074Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$50,802Health and Medical Administrative Services$31,898Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services$36,264
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at South Central College
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$112,715
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 17
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $10,228
- HS-only baseline · MN
- $39,400
- Years to complete
- 2
- CIP family
- 24
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to South Central College in Minnesota
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“South Central College graduates earn $X” — not “South Central College makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending South Central College caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.