College ROI

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CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY 16,289 Undergrads 57.9% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$13,905
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$2,984
After Aid
Median Earnings
$73,236
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$2,984
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$73,236
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$63,163
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate57.9%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.3
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients57.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time81.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS70.3%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
53.8%
SAT Avg
1,280
SAT Reading
25th: 550-75th: 700
SAT Math
25th: 550-75th: 720
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)

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$639k
+$172k
+$154k
Median Cost$3k/yr
+$628k
+$161k
+$143k
Full Cost$14k/yr
+$589k
+$122k
+$104k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
29
∞
Median Cost$3k/yr
30
1336%
Full Cost$14k/yr
35
208%
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 Return496%

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 Return108%
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

Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,126
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,764
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$12,969
Earnings (4yr)
$75,803
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$163k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
$8,772
Earnings (4yr)
$51,787
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k
Archeology
BachCIP: 4503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,748
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$63,406
Natl Median: $58,891
Lifetime Value Added
+$68k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$59,204
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$9,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,699
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
-$3k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,353
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
-$236k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$104,791
Natl Median: $75,975
Lifetime Value Added
+$384k
Median Debt
$10,875
Earnings (4yr)
$55,182
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$1k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$9,553
Earnings (4yr)
$102,321
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$366k
Dance
BachCIP: 5003
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$21,964
Natl Median: $39,980
Lifetime Value Added
-$276k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$16,015
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$332k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$53,509
Natl Median: $51,642
Lifetime Value Added
-$12k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$10,101
Earnings (4yr)
$69,920
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$118k
Median Debt
$13,533
Earnings (4yr)
$55,759
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
+$6k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$51,569
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$46,545
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
-$71k
Median Debt
$10,300
Earnings (4yr)
$56,160
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$59,864
Natl Median: $54,945
Lifetime Value Added
+$39k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$51,430
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,459
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$13,000
Earnings (4yr)
$58,253
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
+$26k
Human Biology
BachCIP: 3027
Median Debt
$11,250
Earnings (4yr)
$83,420
Natl Median: $64,732
Lifetime Value Added
+$221k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$80,308
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$198k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$39,600
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$130k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$31,839
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$186k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$49,583
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$13,391
Earnings (4yr)
$62,040
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$57k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$11,386
Earnings (4yr)
$59,149
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$63,884
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$71k
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$116,361
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$472k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$53,642
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$20k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,169
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$70,273
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
+$121k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$10,245
Earnings (4yr)
$57,965
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
+$24k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$13,920
Earnings (4yr)
$73,857
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
+$148k
Median Debt
$15,504
Earnings (4yr)
$72,919
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
+$141k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,018
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$109,803
Natl Median: $62,752
Lifetime Value Added
+$392k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$98,103
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$218k
Anthropology
MastCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,276
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biotechnology
MastCIP: 2612
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,682
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$67,660
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$25k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $90,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$91,520
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
+$160k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,978
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
MastCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,743
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,186
Earnings (4yr)
$131,961
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$513k
Median Debt
$55,875
Earnings (4yr)
$48,258
Natl Median: $49,079
Lifetime Value Added
-$229k
Median Debt
$33,795
Earnings (4yr)
$75,480
Natl Median: $66,523
Lifetime Value Added
+$20k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,784
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Literature
MastCIP: 2314
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,337
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
MastCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$71,978
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$11k
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Public Health
MastCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$95,393
Natl Median: $78,489
Lifetime Value Added
+$178k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$142,731
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$606k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$69,161
Natl Median: $71,416
Lifetime Value Added
-$36k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,216
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,193
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
-$282k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,728
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$76,071
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
+$25k
Sociology
MastCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,330
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$30,530
Earnings (4yr)
$88,978
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
+$138k
Statistics
MastCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $123,816
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$37,190
Earnings (4yr)
$81,233
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
+$70k
Median Debt
$25,523
Earnings (4yr)
$77,067
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Median Debt
$24,573
Earnings (4yr)
$79,416
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
+$54k
Median Debt
$25,625
Earnings (4yr)
$84,459
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
+$99k
Median Debt
$28,918
Earnings (4yr)
$89,866
Natl Median: $79,634
Lifetime Value Added
+$146k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$81,702
Natl Median: $77,692
Lifetime Value Added
+$177k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,413
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$147,305
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
+$737k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,959
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $126,911
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$67,660
Natl Median: $64,095
Lifetime Value Added
+$38k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$67,101
Natl Median: $69,147
Lifetime Value Added
+$32k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$54,600
Earnings (4yr)
$93,750
Natl Median: $82,893
Lifetime Value Added
+$37k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,168
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.