College ROI

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Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA 5,198 Undergrads 86.6% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$73,178
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$35,119
After Aid
Median Earnings
$80,896
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$35,119
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$80,896
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$78,892
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate86.6%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.8
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients14.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS87.9%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
81.7%
SAT Avg
1,335
SAT Reading
25th: 60065075th: 700
SAT Math
25th: 59064575th: 680
ACT Composite
25th: 272975th: 31

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
+$697k
+$230k
+$213k
Median Cost$35k/yr
+$571k
+$104k
+$86k
Full Cost$73k/yr
+$434k
-$33k
-$51k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
28
∞
Median Cost$35k/yr
40
68%
Full Cost$73k/yr
Never
-19%
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 Return55%

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-48%
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
$24,774
Earnings (4yr)
$96,396
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$205k
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$55,707
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$110k
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$84,459
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$114k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$86,942
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
+$133k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,875
Earnings (4yr)
$73,558
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$121,512
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$395k
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
$21,488
Earnings (4yr)
$68,190
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
-$11k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$22,125
Earnings (4yr)
$74,061
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Education, Other
BachCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,381
Natl Median: $49,113
Lifetime Value Added
-$32k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$106,155
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$279k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $89,359
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$59,151
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$82k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (5yr)
$67,052
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$30k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$53,458
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
-$128k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$62,743
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$53k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $118,943
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$59,723
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$77k
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$93,816
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$185k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,184
Earnings (4yr)
$60,015
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$75k
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
$24,625
Earnings (4yr)
$67,348
Natl Median: $62,172
Lifetime Value Added
-$17k
Median Debt
$21,494
Earnings (4yr)
$74,303
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$36k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,533
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$63k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$69,977
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
+$3k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$95,155
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$195k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (2yr)
$41,565
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$214k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$25,125
Earnings (4yr)
$62,626
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$58,772
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$25,886
Earnings (4yr)
$99,037
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$167k
Median Debt
$34,912
Earnings (4yr)
$101,090
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$185k
Median Debt
$32,188
Earnings (4yr)
$104,495
Natl Median: $125,988
Lifetime Value Added
+$215k
Median Debt
$36,711
Earnings (4yr)
$73,912
Natl Median: $85,444
Lifetime Value Added
-$53k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$45,687
Earnings (4yr)
$65,557
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$127k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $119,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$54,023
Earnings (4yr)
$133,955
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$471k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$31,125
Earnings (4yr)
$69,533
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
-$91k
Median Debt
$74,932
Earnings (4yr)
$72,648
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$64k
Taxation
MastCIP: 5216
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$111,566
Natl Median: $114,810
Lifetime Value Added
+$277k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$187,234
Natl Median: $61,855
Lifetime Value Added
+$996k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,300
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $113,566
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,734
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$79,017
Earnings (4yr)
$150,919
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
+$343k

Professional Degrees

Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$110,687
Earnings (4yr)
$88,461
Natl Median: $107,773
Lifetime Value Added
-$118k

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.