College ROI

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Concordia University-Chicago

River Forest, IL 1,323 Undergrads 56.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$45,383
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$18,436
After Aid
Median Earnings
$71,699
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$18,436
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$71,699
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Warning: This school's reported earnings inflated significantly (+33%) when the Dept of Education excluded non-graduates from the dataset. Take caution when comparing.
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$54,089
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate56.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.4
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients46.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time89.6%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS71.2%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
92.8%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

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)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$627k
+$160k
+$142k
Median Cost$18k/yr
+$560k
+$94k
+$76k
Full Cost$45k/yr
+$464k
-$3k
-$21k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
30
∞
Median Cost$18k/yr
39
115%
Full Cost$45k/yr
Never
-13%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ 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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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 Return69%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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-40%
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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,891
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$54,533
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$59k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,784
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$43,071
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$156k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$50,897
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
-$90k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,443
Earnings (4yr)
$73,256
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
+$88k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,911
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,495
Earnings (4yr)
$72,050
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
+$79k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$63,871
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$6k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,582
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,612
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$19,800
Earnings (4yr)
$46,590
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$126k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,792
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Religious Education
BachCIP: 3904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,633
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$23,812
Earnings (5yr)
$40,968
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$181k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$55,309
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$53k
Median Debt
$22,298
Earnings (4yr)
$45,532
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$135k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$55,212
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,535
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$57,318
Natl Median: $71,241
Lifetime Value Added
-$150k
Median Debt
$33,625
Earnings (4yr)
$82,060
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$49k
Median Debt
$53,872
Earnings (4yr)
$69,536
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$61k
Median Debt
$17,214
Earnings (4yr)
$68,826
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$67k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, Other
MastCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,348
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,000
Earnings (4yr)
$82,000
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$49k
Median Debt
$22,899
Earnings (4yr)
$74,446
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
-$18k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Gerontology
MastCIP: 3011
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,618
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,666
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$83k
Median Debt
$37,433
Earnings (4yr)
$56,757
Natl Median: $57,050
Lifetime Value Added
-$177k
Marketing
MastCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,106
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Religious Music and Worship
MastCIP: 3905
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,264
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$16,300
Earnings (4yr)
$67,237
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$81k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$21,612
Earnings (4yr)
$66,304
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
-$89k
Median Debt
$47,380
Earnings (4yr)
$84,318
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
+$69k
Median Debt
$25,141
Earnings (4yr)
$62,613
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$122k
Median Debt
$19,166
Earnings (4yr)
$61,264
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$135k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,111
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
-$173k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $94,506
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$110,620
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
+$406k
Gerontology
Gr-CertCIP: 3011
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,464
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $99,117
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,147
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Gr-CertCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,444
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $113,566
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,031
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$49,142
Earnings (4yr)
$123,623
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
+$203k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
DocCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,993
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,822
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,168
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Criminology
DegCIP: 4504
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,938
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$52,739
Natl Median: $65,711
Lifetime Value Added
-$329k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,609
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.