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Harvard University
Cambridge, MA 7,755 Undergrads 98.2% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$82,842
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$16,816
After Aid
Median Earnings
$101,817
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$16,816
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$101,817
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate98.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients17.4%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time93.3%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS89.0%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
3.5%
SAT Avg
1,553
SAT Reading
25th: 74075575th: 780
SAT Math
25th: 76077575th: 800
ACT Composite
25th: 343575th: 36
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
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
+$827k
+$430k
+$342k
Median Cost$17k/yr
+$766k
+$370k
+$282k
Full Cost$83k/yr
+$529k
+$132k
+$44k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
26
∞
Median Cost$17k/yr
29
466%
Full Cost$83k/yr
52
15%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year 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 Return118%
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-30%
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 with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Bachelor's Degrees
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,353
Lifetime Value Added
-$286k
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$178,318
Lifetime Value Added
+$862k
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,937
Lifetime Value Added
-$145k
Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences
BachCIP: 2604
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,380
Lifetime Value Added
+$189k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$219,550
Lifetime Value Added
+$1161k
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
BachCIP: 2613
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$77,952
Lifetime Value Added
+$118k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$6,617
Earnings (5yr)
$161,251
Lifetime Value Added
+$736k
Engineering Science
BachCIP: 1413
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$86,477
Lifetime Value Added
+$182k
English Language and Literature, General
BachCIP: 2301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$64,155
Lifetime Value Added
+$14k
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies
BachCIP: 0502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$29,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$255k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$12,721
Earnings (5yr)
$94,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$238k
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
BachCIP: 2615
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$75,342
Lifetime Value Added
+$98k
Political Science and Government
BachCIP: 4510
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$117,484
Lifetime Value Added
+$413k
Research and Experimental Psychology
BachCIP: 4227
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$102,305
Lifetime Value Added
+$300k
Social Sciences, General
BachCIP: 4501
Median Debt
$22,750
Earnings (5yr)
$76,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$106k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$89,947
Lifetime Value Added
+$208k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$229,811
Lifetime Value Added
+$1233k
Master's Degrees
Architecture
MastCIP: 0402
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$85,413
Lifetime Value Added
+$283k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
MastCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$20,525
Earnings (5yr)
$119,724
Lifetime Value Added
+$577k
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
MastCIP: 0403
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (5yr)
$89,211
Lifetime Value Added
+$316k
Computer Engineering
MastCIP: 1409
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$137,605
Lifetime Value Added
+$800k
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
MastCIP: 2613
Median Debt
$63,553
Earnings (5yr)
$208,695
Lifetime Value Added
+$1329k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$84,569
Lifetime Value Added
+$276k
Education, Other
MastCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$85,553
Lifetime Value Added
+$284k
Educational Administration and Supervision
MastCIP: 1304
Median Debt
$33,610
Earnings (5yr)
$105,918
Lifetime Value Added
+$459k
Educational/Instructional Media Design
MastCIP: 1305
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$95,957
Lifetime Value Added
+$374k
Finance and Financial Management Services
MastCIP: 5208
Median Debt
$28,268
Earnings (5yr)
$142,601
Lifetime Value Added
+$771k
International and Comparative Education
MastCIP: 1307
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$77,418
Lifetime Value Added
+$214k
Landscape Architecture
MastCIP: 0406
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$79,176
Lifetime Value Added
+$230k
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
MastCIP: 2401
Median Debt
$25,780
Earnings (5yr)
$88,617
Lifetime Value Added
+$311k
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
MastCIP: 0301
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (2yr)
$53,168
Lifetime Value Added
+$29k
Public Administration
MastCIP: 4404
Median Debt
$70,763
Earnings (5yr)
$140,456
Lifetime Value Added
+$753k
Public Health
MastCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$49,681
Earnings (5yr)
$204,275
Lifetime Value Added
+$1293k
Public Policy Analysis
MastCIP: 4405
Median Debt
$70,447
Earnings (5yr)
$134,992
Lifetime Value Added
+$707k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
MastCIP: 1312
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$69,488
Lifetime Value Added
+$146k
Theological and Ministerial Studies
MastCIP: 3906
Median Debt
$25,632
Earnings (5yr)
$68,181
Lifetime Value Added
+$135k
Graduate Certificates
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences
Gr-CertCIP: 5105
Median Debt
$278,414
Earnings (5yr)
$281,043
Lifetime Value Added
+$2122k
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Gr-CertCIP: 5005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$39,927
Lifetime Value Added
-$52k
Doctoral Degrees
Biology, General
DocCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$117,155
Lifetime Value Added
+$360k
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
DocCIP: 2613
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$147,362
Lifetime Value Added
+$578k
Education, General
DocCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$25,465
Earnings (5yr)
$132,114
Lifetime Value Added
+$468k
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
DocCIP: 2615
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$58,673
Lifetime Value Added
-$41k
Political Science and Government
DocCIP: 4510
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$84,653
Lifetime Value Added
+$161k
Public Health
DocCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$120,143
Lifetime Value Added
+$382k
Public Policy Analysis
DocCIP: 4405
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$129,458
Lifetime Value Added
+$449k
Theology and Religious Vocations, Other
DocCIP: 3999
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$53,358
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Professional Degrees
Business Administration, Management and Operations
ProfCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (5yr)
$283,798
Lifetime Value Added
+$1521k
Dentistry
ProfCIP: 5104
Median Debt
$184,220
Earnings (5yr)
$172,732
Lifetime Value Added
+$761k
Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$93,235
Earnings (5yr)
$250,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$1302k
Medicine
ProfCIP: 5112
Median Debt
$99,160
Earnings (5yr)
$139,818
Lifetime Value Added
+$524k
Theological and Ministerial Studies
ProfCIP: 3906
Median Debt
$36,777
Earnings (5yr)
$59,192
Lifetime Value Added
-$65k
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, 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 degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.