College ROI

Smarter Choices, Brighter Futures
Back to Colleges

Cedarville University

Cedarville, OH 4,024 Undergrads 74.0% Grad Rate
Share
Total Cost
$52,159
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$23,335
After Aid
Median Earnings
$62,051
5yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$23,335
Peer Midpoint: $19,969
Earnings (5yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$62,051
Peer Midpoint: $61,632
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$65,805
Peer Midpoint: $58,891
Graduation Rate74.0%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average starting age (2015-17)19.7
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients24.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time99.0%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS77.0%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
65.3%
SAT Avg
1,241
SAT Reading
25th: 58063075th: 690
SAT Math
25th: 55060075th: 670
ACT Composite
25th: 222675th: 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
+$545k
+$75k
+$59k
Median Cost$23k/yr
+$461k
-$9k
-$25k
Full Cost$52k/yr
+$358k
-$113k
-$129k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
36
∞
Median Cost$23k/yr
Never
-30%
Full Cost$52k/yr
Never
-69%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the median earnings five years after graduating, with four years of 2% raises taken out.
  • 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-36%

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-72%

Program ROI Analysis

These figures are medians for past graduates who received federal aid. Your cost and pay will differ. Run your own numbers in the Guided ROI Interview →

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,317
Earnings (4yr)
$77,937
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$108k
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$71,112
Natl Median: $68,559
Lifetime Value Added
+$45k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,533
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$18,214
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$64,395
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,697
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$34,958
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$244k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$73,635
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$98k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
$109,817
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$351k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,668
Earnings (4yr)
$51,813
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$67,101
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$46k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$86,487
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$174k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
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
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$21,109
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,322
Earnings (4yr)
$86,062
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$170k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $40,103
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$23,649
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$335k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,915
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$87,777
Natl Median: $116,539
Lifetime Value Added
+$183k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$37,163
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$231k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,782
Natl Median: $50,497
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
$73,789
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$77k
Religious Education
BachCIP: 3904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,633
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Religious Music and Worship
BachCIP: 3905
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,456
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,805
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$23,156
Earnings (4yr)
$52,471
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$94k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$44,418
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$162k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$43,308
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$172k
Median Debt
$22,115
Earnings (4yr)
$44,668
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$160k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,028
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$100,257
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$201k
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities
MastCIP: 5132
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,487
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,145
Earnings (4yr)
$117,244
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$349k

Graduate Certificates

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

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$181,919
Earnings (4yr)
$130,961
Natl Median: $136,696
Lifetime Value Added
+$239k

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.