College ROI

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Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA 5,898 Undergrads 89.8% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$80,856
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$36,931
After Aid
Median Earnings
$101,748
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$36,931
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$101,748
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$105,584
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate89.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.1
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients17.8%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.6%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS91.4%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
25.9%
SAT Avg
1,440
SAT Reading
25th: 68068875th: 730
SAT Math
25th: 69072075th: 770
ACT Composite
25th: 313275th: 34

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
+$856k
+$389k
+$372k
Median Cost$37k/yr
+$723k
+$256k
+$239k
Full Cost$81k/yr
+$565k
+$98k
+$81k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
25
∞
Median Cost$37k/yr
32
180%
Full Cost$81k/yr
46
28%
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 Return143%

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-23%
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
$23,179
Earnings (4yr)
$125,874
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$422k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Architecture
BachCIP: 0402
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,914
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,333
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,710
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$23,128
Earnings (4yr)
$75,611
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$39k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$106,260
Natl Median: $93,451
Lifetime Value Added
+$273k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$98,481
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$214k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$107,079
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$280k
Median Debt
$23,240
Earnings (4yr)
$113,630
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$329k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$101,720
Natl Median: $98,158
Lifetime Value Added
+$239k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$91,856
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
+$164k
Cognitive Science
BachCIP: 3025
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,496
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$81,812
Natl Median: $78,216
Lifetime Value Added
+$112k
Median Debt
$24,019
Earnings (4yr)
$116,999
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$355k
Median Debt
$24,625
Earnings (4yr)
$116,214
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$349k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$23,854
Earnings (4yr)
$141,691
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$541k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,642
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,754
Earnings (4yr)
$108,503
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$290k
Engineering, Other
BachCIP: 1499
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $93,989
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,707
Earnings (4yr)
$71,474
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
+$8k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,171
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$127,210
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$432k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,707
Earnings (4yr)
$72,978
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
+$19k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,459
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,834
Earnings (4yr)
$121,498
Natl Median: $98,442
Lifetime Value Added
+$389k
Median Debt
$21,250
Earnings (4yr)
$79,569
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
+$70k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$81,935
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
+$88k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$71,015
Natl Median: $79,811
Lifetime Value Added
+$26k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$20,534
Earnings (4yr)
$98,320
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$213k
Median Debt
$26,324
Earnings (4yr)
$97,904
Natl Median: $91,449
Lifetime Value Added
+$210k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,950
Earnings (4yr)
$96,618
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$200k
Median Debt
$24,960
Earnings (4yr)
$91,697
Natl Median: $50,532
Lifetime Value Added
+$162k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,863
Earnings (5yr)
$84,790
Natl Median: $62,451
Lifetime Value Added
+$97k
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
$21,150
Earnings (4yr)
$90,302
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$152k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$21,160
Earnings (4yr)
$74,939
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,452
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Applied Mathematics
MastCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$67,164
Natl Median: $116,060
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Area Studies
MastCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,936
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $80,271
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $106,375
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$153,638
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$638k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $125,988
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $97,526
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,468
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
MastCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,937
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$92,139
Natl Median: $98,323
Lifetime Value Added
+$104k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$52,107
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$234k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $136,736
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
MastCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,743
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$12,015
Earnings (4yr)
$85,017
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$41k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$106,767
Natl Median: $133,654
Lifetime Value Added
+$232k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$86,268
Natl Median: $125,651
Lifetime Value Added
+$52k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $97,366
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy
MastCIP: 0302
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,563
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,463
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$120,033
Natl Median: $119,184
Lifetime Value Added
+$347k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$46,478
Natl Median: $69,445
Lifetime Value Added
-$291k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $124,807
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $122,873
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
MastCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,106
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
MastCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$118,309
Natl Median: $115,974
Lifetime Value Added
+$312k
Physics
MastCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $96,478
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$30,409
Natl Median: $78,850
Lifetime Value Added
-$456k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $114,668
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
MastCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,330
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$53,608
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$220k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,728
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$220k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,708
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$165k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,226
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $123,729
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $112,683
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $131,848
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $141,187
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
DocCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,386
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
DocCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,980
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$93,613
Natl Median: $99,878
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $167,302
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $97,173
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,831
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,112
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,039
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $130,845
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
DocCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $89,656
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $131,070
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
DocCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $130,153
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $98,707
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $90,739
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.