College ROI

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Alfred University

Alfred, NY 1,423 Undergrads 59.3% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$57,445
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$25,620
After Aid
Median Earnings
$58,242
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$25,620
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$58,242
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$54,897
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate59.3%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.8
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients39.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.7%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS67.1%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
73.8%
SAT Avg
1,279
SAT Reading
25th: 55558575th: 660
SAT Math
25th: 54060075th: 650
ACT Composite
25th: 242575th: 29

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 4 Years to Graduation

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$522k
+$55k
+$37k
Median Cost$26k/yr
+$429k
-$38k
-$55k
Full Cost$57k/yr
+$315k
-$152k
-$170k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
41
∞
Median Cost$26k/yr
Never
-60%
Full Cost$57k/yr
Never
-82%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
  • Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
  • Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
  • NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return-60%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-79%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,250
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$55,856
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
-$83k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,891
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$61,219
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$41k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $93,451
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,776
Earnings (4yr)
$61,629
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,394
Earnings (4yr)
$83,641
Natl Median: $83,947
Lifetime Value Added
+$141k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$51,996
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$115k
Median Debt
$22,625
Earnings (4yr)
$57,570
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Engineering, Other
BachCIP: 1499
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$71,845
Natl Median: $93,989
Lifetime Value Added
+$51k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$22,329
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$355k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$38,877
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$218k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,580
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Gerontology
BachCIP: 3011
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,051
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,339
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,449
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$79,452
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$110k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$46,328
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$162k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$47,445
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$144k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$49,612
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$126k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$67,764
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
-$101k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $106,375
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$32,196
Earnings (4yr)
$69,000
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$70,070
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $133,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,121
Natl Median: $49,079
Lifetime Value Added
-$480k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,651
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $112,282
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,974
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$51,261
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$251k
Median Debt
$19,140
Earnings (4yr)
$94,571
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
+$146k
Median Debt
$24,864
Earnings (4yr)
$84,232
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
+$55k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$92,053
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
+$108k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,655
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$72,375
Natl Median: $99,878
Lifetime Value Added
-$214k

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate decision moving forward. Note that the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.