College ROI

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Edgewood College

Madison, WI 1,107 Undergrads 62.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$50,903
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$26,113
After Aid
Median Earnings
$68,625
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$26,113
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$68,625
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$59,728
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate62.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.7
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients26.2%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time92.9%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS83.3%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
75.7%
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)

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$603k
+$136k
+$119k
Median Cost$26k/yr
+$509k
+$42k
+$25k
Full Cost$51k/yr
+$420k
-$47k
-$64k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
31
∞
Median Cost$26k/yr
51
27%
Full Cost$51k/yr
Never
-35%
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 Return27%

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-54%
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
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
BachCIP: 5010
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,240
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$26,535
Earnings (4yr)
$69,355
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$31k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$96,101
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$235k
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$64,738
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
-$5k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,975
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$54,257
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$89k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$55,512
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
-$61k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$58,481
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$64k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$44,540
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$171k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, Other
BachCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,936
Natl Median: $49,113
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$24,421
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$337k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$51,482
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
-$95k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Natural Sciences
BachCIP: 3018
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,935
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$49,536
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$129k
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
$79,577
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$109k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,792
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
Median Debt
$25,875
Earnings (4yr)
$48,946
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,259
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$91,119
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$99k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,241
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$49,409
Earnings (4yr)
$110,256
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$282k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$31,590
Earnings (4yr)
$61,311
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$148k
Education, Other
MastCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,348
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$79,960
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$17k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$102,255
Natl Median: $83,558
Lifetime Value Added
+$212k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,431
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$120k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$109,385
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$274k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$58,537
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$174k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,897
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$32,609
Earnings (4yr)
$56,422
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$194k
Median Debt
$30,204
Earnings (4yr)
$63,899
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
-$125k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$58,153
Earnings (4yr)
$110,776
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
+$80k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,347
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.