College ROI

Smarter Choices, Brighter Futures
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Ensign College

Salt Lake City, UT 7,568 Undergrads 28.4% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$16,160
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$8,143
After Aid
Median Earnings
$58,116
5yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$8,143
Peer Midpoint: $17,726
Earnings (5yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$58,116
Peer Midpoint: $36,184
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$56,881
Peer Midpoint: $36,543
Graduation Rate28.4%
Peer Midpoint: 69.9%
Warning: The majority of students at this institution do not graduate. Non-completers typically earn significantly less and face higher debt risks.
Average starting age (2015-17)24.2
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients6.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time23.5%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS66.3%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
100.0%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 1 Year 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
+$653k
+$249k
+$167k
Median Cost$8k/yr
+$645k
+$241k
+$159k
Full Cost$16k/yr
+$638k
+$234k
+$152k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
21
∞
Median Cost$8k/yr
22
2105%
Full Cost$16k/yr
23
1011%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the median earnings five years after graduating, with four years of 2% raises taken out.⚠️ 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

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 Return2049%

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 Return412%
Warning: Read this ROI with care. Most awards here are certificates, so the model prices a one-year program. The earnings figure covers every graduate, including those who finished longer associate and bachelor's programs that pay more. That mix can make the NPV, Social ROI and Pell ROI look much higher than a typical certificate student will see.

Program ROI Analysis

These figures are medians for past graduates who received federal aid. Your cost and pay will differ. Run your own numbers in the Guided ROI Interview →

Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,589
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $34,272
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,615
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,001
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $35,447
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$58,731
Natl Median: $47,660
Lifetime Value Added
+$107k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,269
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$76,952
Natl Median: $48,733
Lifetime Value Added
+$273k
Computer Programming
AssocCIP: 1102
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,070
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,971
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,726
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$31,839
Natl Median: $38,127
Lifetime Value Added
-$137k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$53,955
Natl Median: $40,095
Lifetime Value Added
+$62k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,669
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$6,396
Earnings (5yr)
$60,972
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
+$129k
Marketing
AssocCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$44,882
Natl Median: $44,264
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k

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.