College ROI

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Frostburg State University

Frostburg, MD 2,909 Undergrads 59.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$27,056
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$16,715
After Aid
Median Earnings
$58,511
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$16,715
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$58,511
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$55,493
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate59.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age21.7
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients37.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time80.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS71.0%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
89.2%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: -55575th: -
SAT Math
25th: -53575th: -
ACT Composite
25th: -2175th: -

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
+$524k
+$57k
+$39k
Median Cost$17k/yr
+$464k
-$3k
-$21k
Full Cost$27k/yr
+$426k
-$41k
-$58k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
40
∞
Median Cost$17k/yr
Never
-35%
Full Cost$27k/yr
Never
-60%
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-11%

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-55%
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
$22,001
Earnings (4yr)
$67,484
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$50k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$22,750
Earnings (4yr)
$55,718
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$44k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,245
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,002
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$799
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,874
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (4yr)
$48,762
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$101k
Median Debt
$29,750
Earnings (4yr)
$70,144
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$70k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$16,456
Earnings (4yr)
$83,990
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$176k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$85,521
Natl Median: $85,063
Lifetime Value Added
+$188k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$56,668
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$36k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$29,679
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$266k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (4yr)
$99,671
Natl Median: $89,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$296k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$46,612
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$119k
Median Debt
$22,934
Earnings (4yr)
$45,220
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$131k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,500
Earnings (4yr)
$62,767
Natl Median: $61,911
Lifetime Value Added
+$13k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$69,680
Natl Median: $85,294
Lifetime Value Added
+$67k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,533
Earnings (4yr)
$53,934
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$58k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,984
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
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$46,546
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$120k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,250
Earnings (4yr)
$52,488
Natl Median: $50,468
Lifetime Value Added
-$70k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,983
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$57,770
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$21,145
Earnings (4yr)
$50,210
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$89k
Median Debt
$16,750
Earnings (4yr)
$86,331
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$194k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$19,750
Earnings (4yr)
$50,376
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$88k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,197
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$56k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$25,250
Earnings (4yr)
$46,862
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$117k
Median Debt
$19,938
Earnings (4yr)
$51,478
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$79k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $45,338
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,750
Earnings (4yr)
$43,434
Natl Median: $44,055
Lifetime Value Added
-$146k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$106,032
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$262k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,527
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$31,761
Earnings (4yr)
$63,223
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,803
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$37,462
Earnings (4yr)
$55,430
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$186k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,573
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.