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Is Guilford Technical Community College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Guilford Technical Community, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Stretch
Guilford Technical Community sits in the stretch band for a typical family. The long-run earnings picture at $38,309 helps, but median debt of $15,075 plus yearly net price of $17,020 creates a tighter path. For context, Guilford Technical Community's net price runs about 77% above the typical 2-year, public school. It can work, but the financing plan has to be deliberate.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 791 similar 2-year, public schools
This school
$13,374
/yrAverage school like this
$7,555
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $5,819 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $23,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price sits in a range that leaves more room for family cash flow and lower borrowing.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$17,020
Median earnings 10 years out
$38,309
Median debt at graduation
$15,075
Graduation rate
32%
At Guilford Technical Community, a typical graduate carries about $15,075 in student debt and earns roughly $38,309 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $171 per month, or 5% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $8,965 more than the typical working high school graduate in North Carolina ($29,344) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties each undergraduate program's federal loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
The national figure is $31,269. The Department of Education uses it instead of the state figure when fewer than half of a school's students come from its state.
56% of former students here earned more than the typical high school graduate ten years after entry, by College Scorecard's own measure.
Context, not a federal determination. The benchmarks are the Department of Education's published thresholds (2024 notice, based on 2022 Census data); thresholds under the 2026 rule have not been released yet. The official test looks at each program's graduates four years after completion; our figure is College Scorecard's median for the whole school, ten years after entry. How this works
Program earnings vs. the federal benchmark
Median earnings of working graduates four years after finishing each undergraduate program, next to the benchmark the federal earnings test uses: the typical working high school graduate aged 25–34 in North Carolina ($29,344).
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Certificate · 36 working graduates counted
$27,849
$1,495 below the benchmark
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
Associate degree · 20 working graduates counted
$28,894
$450 below the benchmark
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Certificate · 26 working graduates counted
$31,179
Not rated on 2025 earnings (tipped-job rule)
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Certificate · 16 working graduates counted
$30,457
$1,113 above the benchmark
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
Certificate · 50 working graduates counted
$31,179
$1,835 above the benchmark
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians
Associate degree · 22 working graduates counted
$31,784
$2,440 above the benchmark
Design and Applied Arts
Associate degree · 32 working graduates counted
$33,521
$4,177 above the benchmark
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Associate degree · 37 working graduates counted
$34,159
$4,815 above the benchmark
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions
Associate degree · 25 working graduates counted
$34,502
$5,158 above the benchmark
Design and Applied Arts
Certificate · 18 working graduates counted
$35,628
$6,284 above the benchmark
49 other undergraduate programs here have no four-year earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were counted to publish one. That says nothing about how those programs do. See every program on College Scorecard
An estimate, not an official determination. Under a federal rule taking effect July 1, 2027, programs below this benchmark in official results may face limits on federal student loans; Pell Grants are not affected. The official test uses finer program categories, different graduating classes and the Department's own records; its first results are expected in 2027. Programs that train for tipped jobs, such as cosmetology and massage, won't be rated on 2025 earnings, and the Department decides which programs qualify. Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data (released Oct 15, 2026). Benchmark: Department of Education published thresholds (2024 notice).
Represent Guilford Technical Community College and think a figure here is wrong? Request a correction and we'll check it against the latest College Scorecard release.
What this means for your family
Guilford Technical Community is a two year school in Jamestown, NC. For many families, the real question is not just sticker price but what this path unlocks next, whether that is direct employment, transfer, or a lower cost route into a four year degree.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
2-year
College of Wilmington
Wilmington, NC
Worth-It Score: 58/100
Median net price: $16,961
2-year
Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
Worth-It Score: 64/100
Median net price: $17,898
2-year
Cabarrus College of Health Sciences
Concord, NC
Worth-It Score: 69/100
Median net price: $16,171
2-year
Paul Mitchell the School-Raleigh
Raleigh, NC
Worth-It Score: 61/100
Median net price: $19,196
2-year
Pinnacle Institute of Cosmetology
Mooresville, NC
Worth-It Score: 49/100
Median net price: $19,748
Common questions about Guilford Technical Community
The median net price at Guilford Technical Community is $17,020 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at community colleges options in North Carolina? See the most affordable community colleges in North Carolina →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
What families actually paid
The published price is rarely what anyone pays. Pick a household income range to see what students at Guilford Technical Community in that range paid on average, after grants and scholarships.
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All students who received aid
$17,020a year, on average
Average for first-time, full-time students who received federal financial aid, 2024-25. It does not include transfer or part-time students, and it is an average rather than a quote — what you pay depends on your own circumstances and the aid this school offers you. Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS.
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →