College ROI

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Delta State University

Cleveland, MS 1,620 Undergrads 52.1% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$22,445
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$13,540
After Aid
Median Earnings
$47,248
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$13,540
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$47,248
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$41,991
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate52.1%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.4
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients50.4%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time88.4%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS61.1%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
100.0%
SAT Avg
1,050
SAT Reading
25th: 47553575th: 590
SAT Math
25th: 45053575th: 620
ACT Composite
25th: 171975th: 23

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
+$430k
-$36k
-$54k
Median Cost$14k/yr
+$382k
-$85k
-$103k
Full Cost$22k/yr
+$350k
-$117k
-$135k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
Never
-∞
Median Cost$14k/yr
Never
-211%
Full Cost$22k/yr
Never
-167%
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-192%

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-95%
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Air Transportation
BachCIP: 4901
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,825
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
BachCIP: 5010
Median Debt
$24,251
Earnings (4yr)
$36,216
Natl Median: $48,240
Lifetime Value Added
-$197k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,891
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$46,266
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$111k
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (4yr)
$55,424
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$35k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$45,058
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
-$121k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,394
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,375
Earnings (4yr)
$41,285
Natl Median: $48,460
Lifetime Value Added
-$153k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,955
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,984
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,875
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
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
$18,250
Earnings (4yr)
$37,868
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$183k
Median Debt
$15,610
Earnings (4yr)
$76,031
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$127k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,416
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$23,125
Earnings (4yr)
$47,196
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$103k
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$41,177
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$154k
Median Debt
$19,822
Earnings (4yr)
$43,300
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$136k
Median Debt
$21,708
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,688
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Air Transportation
MastCIP: 4901
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,104
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,371
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,702
Earnings (4yr)
$53,082
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$202k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,597
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$56,897
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,716
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$109,763
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$339k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $88,131
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$54,221
Earnings (4yr)
$52,735
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$206k
Median Debt
$25,732
Earnings (4yr)
$48,099
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$250k
Median Debt
$36,248
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Education, General
DocCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $87,373
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Professional Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$58,136
Natl Median: $78,026
Lifetime Value Added
-$269k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $133,099
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,172
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,973
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,155
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.