College ROI

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Centenary University

Hackettstown, NJ 910 Undergrads 62.7% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$52,362
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$20,503
After Aid
Median Earnings
$63,207
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$20,503
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$63,207
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$53,726
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate62.7%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.7
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients38.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time94.0%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS75.3%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
83.1%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: -57575th: -
SAT Math
25th: -50575th: -
ACT Composite
25th: -1975th: -

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
+$561k
+$94k
+$77k
Median Cost$21k/yr
+$487k
+$21k
+$3k
Full Cost$52k/yr
+$373k
-$94k
-$112k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
34
∞
Median Cost$21k/yr
62
4%
Full Cost$52k/yr
Never
-59%
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-18%

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-67%
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

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $34,692
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,669
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $45,709
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$50,856
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$80k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$40,047
Natl Median: $40,334
Lifetime Value Added
-$189k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$34,057
Natl Median: $53,588
Lifetime Value Added
-$241k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$63,058
Natl Median: $57,640
Lifetime Value Added
-$8k
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
BachCIP: 5010
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,240
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$24,294
Earnings (4yr)
$63,381
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$72,527
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$75k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$45,098
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$146k
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$67,181
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Dance
BachCIP: 5003
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,980
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$50,746
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
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: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$42,424
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$169k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$38,289
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$191k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$48,986
Natl Median: $50,497
Lifetime Value Added
-$121k
Median Debt
$22,649
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,695
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,805
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$14,148
Earnings (4yr)
$62,373
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$4k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$27,169
Earnings (4yr)
$46,031
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$45,622
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$141k
Median Debt
$23,611
Earnings (4yr)
$61,358
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$12k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$51,273
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$77k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,688
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$39,633
Earnings (4yr)
$110,053
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$290k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$39,369
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$333k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$82,038
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$45k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$72,713
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$69,602
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$64k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$72,493
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$39k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,838
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$97k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $94,506
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,573
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.