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California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA 21,521 Undergrads 86.3% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$29,918
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$15,624
After Aid
Median Earnings
$90,768
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$15,624
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$90,768
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate86.3%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients17.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time95.7%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS86.7%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
29.8%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
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
+$746k
+$349k
+$261k
Median Cost$16k/yr
+$689k
+$293k
+$205k
Full Cost$30k/yr
+$638k
+$241k
+$154k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
27
∞
Median Cost$16k/yr
30
365%
Full Cost$30k/yr
35
143%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year 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 Return363%
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 Return52%
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 with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Bachelor's Degrees
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
BachCIP: 1402
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (5yr)
$112,671
Lifetime Value Added
+$382k
Agricultural Business and Management
BachCIP: 0101
Median Debt
$16,000
Earnings (5yr)
$93,186
Lifetime Value Added
+$236k
Agricultural Engineering
BachCIP: 1403
Median Debt
$15,374
Earnings (5yr)
$89,957
Lifetime Value Added
+$212k
Agricultural Public Services
BachCIP: 0108
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$44,384
Lifetime Value Added
-$119k
Agriculture, General
BachCIP: 0100
Median Debt
$21,903
Earnings (5yr)
$68,350
Lifetime Value Added
+$50k
Animal Sciences
BachCIP: 0109
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$62,117
Lifetime Value Added
+$2k
Architectural Engineering
BachCIP: 1404
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$97,098
Lifetime Value Added
+$266k
Architecture
BachCIP: 0402
Median Debt
$27,500
Earnings (5yr)
$77,718
Lifetime Value Added
+$121k
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
BachCIP: 2602
Median Debt
$17,500
Earnings (5yr)
$72,627
Lifetime Value Added
+$82k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (5yr)
$73,422
Lifetime Value Added
+$88k
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
BachCIP: 1405
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$111,260
Lifetime Value Added
+$371k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
BachCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$16,633
Earnings (5yr)
$102,603
Lifetime Value Added
+$307k
Business/Commerce, General
BachCIP: 5201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$104,949
Lifetime Value Added
+$324k
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
BachCIP: 0403
Median Debt
$19,334
Earnings (2yr)
$48,432
Lifetime Value Added
-$84k
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$20,424
Earnings (5yr)
$101,618
Lifetime Value Added
+$299k
Communication and Media Studies
BachCIP: 0901
Median Debt
$14,857
Earnings (5yr)
$67,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$40k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
BachCIP: 1101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$192,621
Lifetime Value Added
+$972k
Computer Engineering
BachCIP: 1409
Median Debt
$20,556
Earnings (5yr)
$146,406
Lifetime Value Added
+$631k
Construction Engineering Technologies
BachCIP: 1510
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$125,179
Lifetime Value Added
+$475k
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
BachCIP: 5005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$23,649
Lifetime Value Added
-$306k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$17,500
Earnings (5yr)
$89,394
Lifetime Value Added
+$208k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
BachCIP: 1410
Median Debt
$23,475
Earnings (5yr)
$116,692
Lifetime Value Added
+$412k
English Language and Literature, General
BachCIP: 2301
Median Debt
$23,500
Earnings (5yr)
$64,041
Lifetime Value Added
+$17k
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
BachCIP: 1414
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$86,311
Lifetime Value Added
+$185k
Fine and Studio Arts
BachCIP: 5007
Median Debt
$17,886
Earnings (5yr)
$87,876
Lifetime Value Added
+$197k
Food Science and Technology
BachCIP: 0110
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$82,237
Lifetime Value Added
+$154k
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services
BachCIP: 1905
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$68,469
Lifetime Value Added
+$51k
Forestry
BachCIP: 0305
Median Debt
$17,333
Earnings (5yr)
$73,077
Lifetime Value Added
+$86k
Graphic Communications
BachCIP: 1003
Median Debt
$17,961
Earnings (5yr)
$87,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$191k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$15,833
Earnings (5yr)
$58,207
Lifetime Value Added
-$29k
Industrial Engineering
BachCIP: 1435
Median Debt
$19,691
Earnings (5yr)
$121,125
Lifetime Value Added
+$445k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$67,804
Lifetime Value Added
+$46k
Landscape Architecture
BachCIP: 0406
Median Debt
$22,583
Earnings (5yr)
$61,334
Lifetime Value Added
-$4k
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
BachCIP: 2401
Median Debt
$17,500
Earnings (5yr)
$64,390
Lifetime Value Added
+$20k
Materials Engineering
BachCIP: 1418
Median Debt
$17,000
Earnings (5yr)
$107,726
Lifetime Value Added
+$345k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$16,636
Earnings (5yr)
$78,202
Lifetime Value Added
+$124k
Mechanical Engineering
BachCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$110,675
Lifetime Value Added
+$367k
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
BachCIP: 2605
Median Debt
$21,744
Earnings (2yr)
$36,852
Lifetime Value Added
-$186k
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
BachCIP: 0301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$88,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$198k
Natural Resources Management and Policy
BachCIP: 0302
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$69,368
Lifetime Value Added
+$58k
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management
BachCIP: 3103
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$73,743
Lifetime Value Added
+$91k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$23,886
Earnings (5yr)
$114,864
Lifetime Value Added
+$398k
Plant Sciences
BachCIP: 0111
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (5yr)
$74,094
Lifetime Value Added
+$93k
Political Science and Government
BachCIP: 4510
Median Debt
$17,831
Earnings (5yr)
$90,264
Lifetime Value Added
+$215k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$18,916
Earnings (5yr)
$65,762
Lifetime Value Added
+$31k
Social Sciences, Other
BachCIP: 4599
Median Debt
$16,000
Earnings (5yr)
$45,522
Lifetime Value Added
-$132k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (5yr)
$75,585
Lifetime Value Added
+$105k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
$17,939
Earnings (5yr)
$97,279
Lifetime Value Added
+$267k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
BachCIP: 1312
Median Debt
$18,340
Earnings (5yr)
$54,410
Lifetime Value Added
-$59k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
BachCIP: 1313
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$76,020
Lifetime Value Added
+$108k
Master's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
MastCIP: 5203
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$124,216
Lifetime Value Added
+$618k
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
MastCIP: 1402
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$88,639
Lifetime Value Added
+$360k
Agriculture, General
MastCIP: 0100
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$71,486
Lifetime Value Added
+$203k
Architecture
MastCIP: 0402
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$80,022
Lifetime Value Added
+$281k
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
MastCIP: 1405
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (2yr)
$78,971
Lifetime Value Added
+$272k
Business/Commerce, General
MastCIP: 5201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$92,498
Lifetime Value Added
+$346k
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
MastCIP: 0403
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$99,106
Lifetime Value Added
+$403k
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$15,564
Earnings (5yr)
$103,431
Lifetime Value Added
+$440k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
MastCIP: 1101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$183,105
Lifetime Value Added
+$1116k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$72,996
Lifetime Value Added
+$179k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
MastCIP: 1410
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$158,506
Lifetime Value Added
+$908k
Engineering, General
MastCIP: 1401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$78,971
Lifetime Value Added
+$272k
Fire Protection
MastCIP: 4302
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$141,848
Lifetime Value Added
+$767k
Mechanical Engineering
MastCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$119,479
Lifetime Value Added
+$577k
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$45,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$42k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
MastCIP: 1313
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$53,810
Lifetime Value Added
+$38k
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, 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 degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.