College ROI

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Lincoln University

Jefferson City, MO 1,392 Undergrads 32.5% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$23,704
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$19,092
After Aid
Median Earnings
$50,859
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$19,092
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$50,859
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Warning: This school's reported earnings inflated significantly (+29%) when the Dept of Education excluded non-graduates from the dataset. Take caution when comparing.
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$39,463
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate32.5%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Warning: The majority of students at this institution do not graduate. Non-completers typically earn significantly less and face higher debt risks.
Average Starting Age21.2
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients60.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time90.7%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS54.1%

Admissions Profile

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

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)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$461k
-$6k
-$24k
Median Cost$19k/yr
+$392k
-$75k
-$92k
Full Cost$24k/yr
+$375k
-$91k
-$109k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
Never
-∞
Median Cost$19k/yr
Never
-134%
Full Cost$24k/yr
Never
-128%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ 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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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-127%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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-81%
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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,246
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,290
Natl Median: $46,706
Lifetime Value Added
+$84k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,895
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General
AssocCIP: 1500
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,562
Earnings (4yr)
$71,924
Natl Median: $80,813
Lifetime Value Added
+$218k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $37,656
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$35,330
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$212k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,647
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$31,250
Earnings (4yr)
$48,276
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,549
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,975
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$37,335
Earnings (4yr)
$48,315
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,399
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$29,000
Earnings (4yr)
$45,788
Natl Median: $55,086
Lifetime Value Added
-$135k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$52,071
Natl Median: $85,294
Lifetime Value Added
-$82k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$32,313
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$33,472
Earnings (4yr)
$40,887
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$177k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
$45,868
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k
Median Debt
$25,750
Earnings (4yr)
$79,520
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$134k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$30,259
Earnings (4yr)
$36,835
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$212k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$36,614
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$220k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,941
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Natural Sciences
MastCIP: 3018
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,321
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,286
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$36,132
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$364k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Graduate Certificates

Education, Other
Gr-CertCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,921
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.