Southwest University at El Paso Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Associate's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Associate's in Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
- Private for-profit university
- El Paso, TX
- About 59 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Southwest University at El Paso vehicle maintenance and repair graduates earn less than graduates of most vehicle maintenance and repair programs nationally, $27,925 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $20,000 in federal loans, more than at 88% of vehicle maintenance and repair programs in the country. Several Texas programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all vehicle maintenance and repair associate's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Southwest University at El Paso graduates earn less than the national figure and about $12,892 less than the Texas median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Texas vehicle maintenance and repair program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 22% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $212 a month, or 9.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 49 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $7,596.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
85% of graduates (118 of 139) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the El Paso area are about 10% below the national average, so a $27,925 salary here buys what about $31,058 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to vehicle maintenance and repair, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
$48,310Median pay in Texas. 69,750 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 66,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
$76,760Median pay in Texas. 75,340 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 48,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
$58,810Median pay in Texas. 29,870 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
$46,750Median pay in Texas. 16,600 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 15,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About Southwest University at El Paso
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair ranks 5th of 7 associate's programs at Southwest University at El Paso by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($74,637), Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($51,809), and Accounting ($33,024).
Other vehicle maintenance and repair associate's programs near El Paso
Common questions
The median graduate earns $27,925 one year after graduating and $34,193 five years after. The median across vehicle maintenance and repair associate's programs in Texas is $39,171.
The median federal loan balance is $20,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 8 vehicle maintenance and repair associate's programs in Texas. That works out to about $212 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 72% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 27%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.
Most do. 85% (118 of 139) were working in Texas one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Texas comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the vehicle maintenance and repair program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024