College ROI

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California State University-San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA 15,023 Undergrads 70.8% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$17,427
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$4,564
After Aid
Median Earnings
$55,441
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$4,564
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$55,441
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$59,977
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate70.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.7
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients58.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time83.3%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS69.8%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
93.7%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

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
+$499k
+$32k
+$14k
Median Cost$5k/yr
+$482k
+$15k
-$2k
Full Cost$17k/yr
+$436k
-$31k
-$48k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
50
∞
Median Cost$5k/yr
Never
-13%
Full Cost$17k/yr
Never
-77%
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-32%

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-48%
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
$14,391
Earnings (4yr)
$59,367
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
$12,700
Earnings (4yr)
$40,417
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$129k
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$56,277
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
+$5k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$15,391
Earnings (4yr)
$56,799
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
Median Debt
$12,604
Earnings (4yr)
$56,361
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$5k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$16,276
Earnings (4yr)
$63,496
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
+$63k
Median Debt
$11,158
Earnings (4yr)
$63,062
Natl Median: $50,523
Lifetime Value Added
+$59k
Median Debt
$15,135
Earnings (4yr)
$49,171
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Median Debt
$16,835
Earnings (4yr)
$66,202
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$84k
Median Debt
$18,214
Earnings (4yr)
$92,492
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$285k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$16,906
Earnings (4yr)
$74,845
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$150k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,275
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$12k
Median Debt
$15,669
Earnings (4yr)
$42,468
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$111k
Median Debt
$16,212
Earnings (4yr)
$54,717
Natl Median: $55,753
Lifetime Value Added
-$8k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$40,118
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$131k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$17,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,060
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Median Debt
$14,437
Earnings (4yr)
$43,648
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$101k
Median Debt
$19,998
Earnings (4yr)
$56,430
Natl Median: $61,027
Lifetime Value Added
+$6k
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$61,095
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$44k
Median Debt
$15,469
Earnings (4yr)
$30,319
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$216k
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
$16,100
Earnings (4yr)
$55,217
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$4k
Median Debt
$17,609
Earnings (4yr)
$45,977
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
-$81k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$13,141
Earnings (4yr)
$44,655
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$53,086
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
-$30k
Median Debt
$12,511
Earnings (4yr)
$56,773
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$43,776
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Median Debt
$14,931
Earnings (4yr)
$52,799
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$24k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$49,732
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
-$49k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$12,671
Earnings (4yr)
$57,157
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$12k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$15,108
Earnings (4yr)
$57,603
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$16k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,612
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,319
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
+$13k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$62,004
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$51k
Median Debt
$16,577
Earnings (4yr)
$53,378
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$19k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$48,326
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$61k
Median Debt
$12,904
Earnings (4yr)
$56,534
Natl Median: $65,093
Lifetime Value Added
+$7k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,961
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$82k
Real Estate
BachCIP: 5215
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $84,821
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$17,963
Earnings (4yr)
$109,499
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$414k
Median Debt
$18,125
Earnings (4yr)
$47,408
Natl Median: $55,695
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Median Debt
$16,254
Earnings (4yr)
$42,232
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
-$113k
Median Debt
$10,935
Earnings (4yr)
$40,695
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$126k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$47,348
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
-$70k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$11,000
Earnings (4yr)
$69,201
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
+$107k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$12,613
Earnings (4yr)
$48,954
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$56k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,944
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$6k
Median Debt
$12,633
Earnings (4yr)
$38,985
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$141k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$24,035
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$263k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$24,379
Earnings (4yr)
$90,142
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$146k
Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$109,028
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$311k
Median Debt
$23,985
Earnings (4yr)
$64,715
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$78k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$71,015
Natl Median: $124,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$3k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $121,855
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$359k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$118,120
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$390k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $97,366
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,079
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,463
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,775
Earnings (4yr)
$61,491
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
-$107k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $95,627
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
MastCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,106
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
MastCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $74,607
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$37,000
Earnings (4yr)
$85,338
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
+$103k
Public Health
MastCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$24,954
Earnings (4yr)
$58,110
Natl Median: $82,751
Lifetime Value Added
-$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$84,653
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$127k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$79,868
Natl Median: $71,416
Lifetime Value Added
+$55k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,216
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$36,388
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
-$356k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,728
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$68,434
Natl Median: $65,443
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$37,400
Earnings (4yr)
$81,476
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
+$70k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,254
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
+$105k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$77,183
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
+$19k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$34,166
Earnings (4yr)
$90,729
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
+$151k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$77,272
Earnings (4yr)
$120,901
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
+$233k

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,308
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.