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Otero College

La Junta, Colorado · Public community college

LPN / LVN programsCNA classesWelding schoolsCosmetology schoolsPhlebotomy classesEMT & paramedic training
38%completion rate · Colorado avg 69%
$10,250median debt of graduates
$34,087median earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$39,018median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
not reportedannual cost of attendance
Yesfederal aid (FAFSA / Pell) eligible
Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing | Higher Learning Commission (Accredited)
Address: 1802 Colorado Avenue, La Junta, CO 81050 · Phone: (719) 384-6800 · School website ↗ · Verify on College Scorecard ↗
Accountability record (federal accreditation database, last 36 months; Department of Education oversight)
No accreditor sanctions in the last 36 months
Sanctions are probation, warning, show-cause and loss-of-accreditation actions by any recognized accreditor, including program-specific accreditors (a nursing-program probation counts for the campus). Routine monitoring reviews and voluntary withdrawals are not counted. Ask the school what the action concerned and how it was resolved.
Completion rate vs. benchmarks
Otero College Otero College: 38.1% 38.1% Colorado average Colorado average: 69.2% 69.2% National average National average: 62.1% 62.1%

What these trades pay once you're working

OccupationStarting (10th pct)MedianExperienced (75th)
Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses$50,820$73,880$79,800
Nursing assistants$38,690$47,380$49,920
Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers$44,100$58,590$69,540
Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists$31,520$37,690$59,710
Phlebotomists$39,400$47,180$49,520
Emergency medical technicians$38,370$45,750$49,930

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wages for everyone employed in the occupation in Colorado (May 2025; national where the state figure is not published). The program table below shows what this campus's own graduates earned in their first year, whatever job they took.

Trade programs at this campus

ProgramCredentialGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Earnings, yr 2Median debt
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Certificate, 1–2 years 30 not reported not reported not reported
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Certificate, under 300 hours 21 not reported not reported not reported
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Certificate, 300–899 hours 15 not reported not reported not reported
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions Certificate, under 300 hours 15 not reported not reported not reported
Precision Metal Working Certificate, 300–899 hours 12 not reported not reported not reported
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services Certificate, 300–899 hours 9 not reported not reported not reported
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services Certificate, 1–2 years 8 not reported not reported not reported
Precision Metal Working Certificate, under 300 hours 6 not reported not reported not reported

Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.

Graduates per year from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey. Earnings and debt are College Scorecard field-of-study medians for graduates of this program at this campus (reported at the 4-digit program level, so closely related programs share a figure); "not reported" means too few graduates were counted to publish a figure.

Visit the school's website ↗

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Data: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026. Figures are the U.S. Department of Education's official measures, not Career Training Path's opinion. Tuition, schedules and program availability change — confirm with the school before enrolling.

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