College ROI

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Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO 6,155 Undergrads 83.4% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$40,560
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$28,690
After Aid
Median Earnings
$100,252
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$28,690
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$100,252
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$97,335
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate83.4%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.8
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients13.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time96.4%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS90.1%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
60.7%
SAT Avg
1,412
SAT Reading
25th: 65068575th: 730
SAT Math
25th: 67070575th: 750
ACT Composite
25th: 293175th: 33

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
+$845k
+$378k
+$360k
Median Cost$29k/yr
+$742k
+$275k
+$257k
Full Cost$41k/yr
+$699k
+$232k
+$215k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
26
∞
Median Cost$29k/yr
31
249%
Full Cost$41k/yr
33
147%
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 Return370%

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 Return50%
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

Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$98,190
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
+$242k
Median Debt
$23,370
Earnings (4yr)
$95,142
Natl Median: $93,451
Lifetime Value Added
+$218k
Median Debt
$26,798
Earnings (4yr)
$94,598
Natl Median: $98,158
Lifetime Value Added
+$214k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$64,667
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
-$25k
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$23,402
Earnings (4yr)
$94,228
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
+$211k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$127,217
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$462k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$106,012
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$301k
Engineering Physics
BachCIP: 1412
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$97,497
Natl Median: $89,154
Lifetime Value Added
+$236k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$93,878
Natl Median: $89,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$195k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$87,278
Natl Median: $81,171
Lifetime Value Added
+$158k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$88,484
Natl Median: $77,880
Lifetime Value Added
+$167k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$112,896
Natl Median: $67,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$337k
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$97,087
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$233k
Median Debt
$25,745
Earnings (4yr)
$94,902
Natl Median: $92,722
Lifetime Value Added
+$216k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$109,695
Natl Median: $101,390
Lifetime Value Added
+$329k
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$116,691
Natl Median: $104,823
Lifetime Value Added
+$382k

Master's Degrees

Applied Mathematics
MastCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $116,060
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Behavioral Sciences
MastCIP: 3017
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,468
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
MastCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,937
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$93,132
Natl Median: $98,323
Lifetime Value Added
+$127k
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$147,702
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
+$601k
Economics
MastCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$128,586
Natl Median: $100,743
Lifetime Value Added
+$414k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $133,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,150
Earnings (4yr)
$123,855
Natl Median: $125,651
Lifetime Value Added
+$395k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,629
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$109,407
Natl Median: $79,463
Lifetime Value Added
+$270k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$102,007
Natl Median: $94,646
Lifetime Value Added
+$205k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $112,282
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$30,500
Earnings (4yr)
$115,085
Natl Median: $115,974
Lifetime Value Added
+$319k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $113,209
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$76,460
Natl Median: $113,005
Lifetime Value Added
+$8k
Nuclear Engineering
MastCIP: 1423
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $117,400
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $147,771
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
MastCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $96,478
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Systems Engineering
MastCIP: 1427
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $144,565
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $123,729
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $141,187
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
DocCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,386
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
DocCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,980
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
DocCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $135,560
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $157,305
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $133,630
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,112
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,039
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $130,845
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $131,070
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
DocCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $130,153
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.