College ROI

Smarter Choices, Brighter Futures
Back to Colleges

Coastal Carolina University

Conway, SC 10,377 Undergrads 52.5% Grad Rate
School Website|Financial Calculator
Share
Total Cost
$26,692
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$13,966
After Aid
Median Earnings
$52,398
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$13,966
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$52,398
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$47,258
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate52.5%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.6
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients27.4%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time96.5%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS63.8%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
75.3%
SAT Avg
1,143
SAT Reading
25th: 53056075th: 620
SAT Math
25th: 52055075th: 600
ACT Composite
25th: 212375th: 26

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
+$474k
+$7k
-$11k
Median Cost$14k/yr
+$423k
-$44k
-$61k
Full Cost$27k/yr
+$378k
-$89k
-$107k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
Never
-∞
Median Cost$14k/yr
Never
-121%
Full Cost$27k/yr
Never
-111%
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-101%

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-77%
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
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$63,239
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$27k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$59,208
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
-$5k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$46,896
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
-$107k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$24,375
Earnings (4yr)
$51,247
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$71k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$59,946
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$633
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,910
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$16k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,333
Earnings (4yr)
$51,010
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$73k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$63,247
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$27k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$40,150
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$165k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$33,962
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$218k
Median Debt
$23,973
Earnings (4yr)
$45,323
Natl Median: $48,842
Lifetime Value Added
-$120k
Engineering Science
BachCIP: 1413
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $93,782
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$37,707
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$186k
Median Debt
$25,683
Earnings (4yr)
$70,181
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$81k
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$36,007
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$201k
Median Debt
$21,937
Earnings (4yr)
$59,575
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$2k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$25,062
Earnings (4yr)
$49,222
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$88k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$50,864
Natl Median: $56,726
Lifetime Value Added
-$74k
Median Debt
$20,336
Earnings (4yr)
$77,999
Natl Median: $85,294
Lifetime Value Added
+$140k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$56,863
Natl Median: $75,803
Lifetime Value Added
-$24k
Median Debt
$25,225
Earnings (4yr)
$38,460
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$179k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$25,500
Earnings (4yr)
$62,373
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$20k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$41,810
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$158k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (4yr)
$53,948
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$48k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$25,479
Earnings (4yr)
$45,469
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$119k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$25,625
Earnings (4yr)
$48,238
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$96k
Median Debt
$16,666
Earnings (5yr)
$78,547
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$133k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$47,056
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$106k
Median Debt
$25,563
Earnings (4yr)
$49,005
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$89k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$50,228
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
Median Debt
$25,565
Earnings (4yr)
$46,581
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$110k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$48,497
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$102k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$79,486
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$35k
Median Debt
$24,486
Earnings (4yr)
$67,954
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$66k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $121,855
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (4yr)
$84,573
Natl Median: $82,527
Lifetime Value Added
+$79k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,456
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$162k
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (4yr)
$62,607
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Median Debt
$27,717
Earnings (4yr)
$55,622
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
-$179k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,463
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,716
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,105
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$165k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$66,494
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
Median Debt
$33,461
Earnings (4yr)
$50,580
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$227k
Median Debt
$29,982
Earnings (4yr)
$56,600
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$170k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,709
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.