College ROI

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Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC 2,893 Undergrads 47.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$45,797
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$20,661
After Aid
Median Earnings
$55,099
5yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$20,661
Peer Midpoint: $19,969
Earnings (5yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$55,099
Peer Midpoint: $61,632
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$52,265
Peer Midpoint: $58,891
Graduation Rate47.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Warning: The majority of students at this institution do not graduate. Non-completers typically earn significantly less and face higher debt risks.
Average Starting Age22.2
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients40.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time93.7%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS69.9%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
96.5%
SAT Avg
1,059
SAT Reading
25th: 48056075th: 600
SAT Math
25th: 45053575th: 560
ACT Composite
25th: 182175th: 24

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
+$489k
+$19k
+$3k
Median Cost$21k/yr
+$415k
-$55k
-$71k
Full Cost$46k/yr
+$324k
-$146k
-$162k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
60
∞
Median Cost$21k/yr
Never
-96%
Full Cost$46k/yr
Never
-98%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the median earnings five years after graduating, with four years of 2% raises taken out.⚠️ Warning: The high average starting age or low completion rate may inflate the Median earnings and ROI shown.
  • 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-86%

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-84%

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
-
Earnings (4yr)
$58,600
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$34k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (4yr)
$46,399
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$136k
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Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$69,117
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$50k
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Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,975
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$50,824
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$97,290
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$266k
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Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$53,162
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
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Median Debt
$22,872
Earnings (4yr)
$41,925
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$174k
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Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,027
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,253
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
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History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,726
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,482
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
-$43k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,179
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
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Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,612
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $40,103
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Natural Sciences
BachCIP: 3018
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,935
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$15,552
Natl Median: $42,915
Lifetime Value Added
-$401k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$23,375
Earnings (4yr)
$41,934
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$174k
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Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$24,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$75,175
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$97k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,792
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$46,418
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
-$143k
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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
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$44,416
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
-$153k
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Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,715
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$125k
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Median Debt
$23,200
Earnings (4yr)
$43,743
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$158k
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Median Debt
$23,848
Earnings (4yr)
$48,154
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$121k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,055
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$117,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $127,347
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$39,559
Earnings (4yr)
$81,984
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$45k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $124,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,377
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
-$138k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$66,271
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$93k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities
MastCIP: 5132
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$101,512
Natl Median: $100,487
Lifetime Value Added
+$199k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,558
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $106,092
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,737
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.