College ROI

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Bucknell University

Lewisburg, PA 3,876 Undergrads 87.9% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$83,756
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$40,766
After Aid
Median Earnings
$96,035
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$40,766
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$96,035
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$93,807
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate87.9%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients11.8%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time99.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS91.5%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
28.9%
SAT Avg
1,410
SAT Reading
25th: 65067575th: 730
SAT Math
25th: 66069875th: 740
ACT Composite
25th: 303175th: 33

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
+$813k
+$346k
+$328k
Median Cost$41k/yr
+$666k
+$199k
+$182k
Full Cost$84k/yr
+$511k
+$44k
+$27k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
26
∞
Median Cost$41k/yr
35
124%
Full Cost$84k/yr
56
9%
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 Return107%

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-33%
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
$26,881
Earnings (4yr)
$130,990
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$446k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$25,836
Earnings (4yr)
$85,687
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$103k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$66,821
Natl Median: $93,451
Lifetime Value Added
-$21k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,854
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$106k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$99,536
Natl Median: $98,158
Lifetime Value Added
+$208k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$95,693
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
+$179k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$122,651
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$384k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$156,885
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$641k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$25,888
Earnings (4yr)
$108,422
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$276k
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$49,785
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$179k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,171
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,459
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$84,411
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
+$80k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$90,393
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
+$139k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (5yr)
$98,141
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$183k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$99,860
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$211k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$63,005
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,798
Earnings (4yr)
$66,963
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$41k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,451
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
$25,500
Earnings (4yr)
$94,028
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$166k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$66,206
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$46k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$63,043
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
-$81k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$76,364
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
+$31k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,169
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$66,041
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$58k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,055
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,468
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
MastCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,937
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $98,323
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,772
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.