College ROI

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Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN 7,560 Undergrads 43.4% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$22,233
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$9,735
After Aid
Median Earnings
$52,456
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$9,735
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$52,456
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$44,301
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate43.4%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Warning: The majority of students at this institution do not graduate. Non-completers typically earn significantly less and face higher debt risks.
Average Starting Age23.4
Warning: High average starting age indicates non-traditional students with prior work experience, which may inflate the median earnings shown.
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients51.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time72.6%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS65.0%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
96.4%
SAT Avg
1,088
SAT Reading
25th: 445-75th: 573
SAT Math
25th: 398-75th: 553
ACT Composite
25th: 182175th: 24

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)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$474k
+$7k
-$10k
Median Cost$10k/yr
+$439k
-$28k
-$45k
Full Cost$22k/yr
+$394k
-$73k
-$90k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
Never
-∞
Median Cost$10k/yr
Never
-129%
Full Cost$22k/yr
Never
-113%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ Warning: The high average starting age or low completion rate may inflate the Median earnings and ROI shown.
  • 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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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-100%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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-72%
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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$49,254
Natl Median: $48,733
Lifetime Value Added
+$23k
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
AssocCIP: 1500
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,593
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$16,595
Earnings (4yr)
$44,250
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$22,294
Earnings (4yr)
$58,409
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$3k
Median Debt
$18,875
Earnings (4yr)
$45,020
Natl Median: $53,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$108k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,110
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$49k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (4yr)
$48,991
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$74k
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$55,567
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$20k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,656
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
-$35k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$18,608
Earnings (5yr)
$54,314
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
-$39k
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$75,261
Natl Median: $75,975
Lifetime Value Added
+$135k
Median Debt
$23,175
Earnings (4yr)
$43,511
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$121k
Median Debt
$22,246
Earnings (4yr)
$77,125
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$149k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,788
Earnings (4yr)
$76,824
Natl Median: $78,929
Lifetime Value Added
+$147k
Median Debt
$21,090
Earnings (4yr)
$53,376
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
BachCIP: 1500
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$79,309
Natl Median: $80,526
Lifetime Value Added
+$166k
Median Debt
$24,860
Earnings (4yr)
$42,543
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$129k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$71,567
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$106k
Median Debt
$22,964
Earnings (4yr)
$33,880
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$204k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$48,050
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
-$90k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$19,375
Earnings (4yr)
$40,317
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$148k
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (4yr)
$48,177
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$81k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$23,649
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
-$285k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$19,178
Earnings (4yr)
$53,734
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
-$35k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$47,046
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$30,900
Earnings (4yr)
$45,100
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$107k
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
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$48,840
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$76k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$41,303
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$140k
Median Debt
$23,365
Earnings (4yr)
$73,564
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$122k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$44,152
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$115k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$18,250
Earnings (4yr)
$43,612
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$120k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$45,543
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$111k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$22,215
Earnings (4yr)
$45,080
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$107k
Median Debt
$24,000
Earnings (4yr)
$46,900
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k

Master's Degrees

Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$86,017
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$100k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$71,883
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$24k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$68,264
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
-$56k
Median Debt
$19,273
Earnings (4yr)
$93,644
Natl Median: $120,083
Lifetime Value Added
+$167k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$51,545
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$210k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$35,766
Earnings (4yr)
$52,820
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$198k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$68,358
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$55k
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
MastCIP: 1500
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $111,169
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,759
Earnings (4yr)
$54,479
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
-$182k
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,716
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$44,596
Earnings (4yr)
$114,522
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$349k
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$59,382
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
-$136k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,250
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
-$83k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$51,023
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$215k
Median Debt
$22,600
Earnings (4yr)
$56,278
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$165k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $126,911
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

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.