College ROI

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Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO 4,624 Undergrads 57.3% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$35,436
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$19,638
After Aid
Median Earnings
$58,207
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$19,638
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$58,207
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$53,278
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate57.3%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age24.8
Warning: High average starting age indicates non-traditional students with prior work experience, which may inflate the median earnings shown.
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients30.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time87.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS75.1%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
56.8%
SAT Avg
1,190
SAT Reading
25th: -52575th: -
SAT Math
25th: -51075th: -
ACT Composite
25th: 222475th: 28

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
+$521k
+$54k
+$37k
Median Cost$20k/yr
+$451k
-$16k
-$34k
Full Cost$35k/yr
+$394k
-$73k
-$91k

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
41
∞
Median Cost$20k/yr
Never
-48%
Full Cost$35k/yr
Never
-71%
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-35%

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-66%
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.

Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,907
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$66,383
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$31k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
BachCIP: 5010
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$32,925
Natl Median: $48,240
Lifetime Value Added
-$236k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$50,669
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$96k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,650
Earnings (4yr)
$63,524
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$80,526
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
+$127k
Median Debt
$24,492
Earnings (4yr)
$54,917
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$61k
Median Debt
$23,343
Earnings (4yr)
$86,526
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$185k
Median Debt
$23,804
Earnings (4yr)
$45,810
Natl Median: $58,894
Lifetime Value Added
-$137k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$98,053
Natl Median: $78,929
Lifetime Value Added
+$273k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,587
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,842
Earnings (4yr)
$89,675
Natl Median: $85,063
Lifetime Value Added
+$209k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$58,400
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$32k
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$49,164
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
-$117k
Dance
BachCIP: 5003
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,980
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$43,329
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$158k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$39,372
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$199k
Education, Other
BachCIP: 1399
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$37,795
Natl Median: $49,113
Lifetime Value Added
-$205k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$28,870
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$273k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$63,077
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$5k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$46,244
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$133k
Fire Protection
BachCIP: 4302
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$48,041
Natl Median: $86,436
Lifetime Value Added
-$102k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,399
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$29,250
Earnings (4yr)
$69,956
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
+$58k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$45,793
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$145k
Median Debt
$29,630
Earnings (4yr)
$63,385
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
+$8k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$54,487
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$73k
Literature
BachCIP: 2314
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,173
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$26,427
Earnings (4yr)
$57,255
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
-$42k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,850
Earnings (4yr)
$52,598
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$80k
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
-
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
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,869
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$53k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$46,138
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,093
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$25,082
Earnings (4yr)
$62,455
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$236
Median Debt
$23,718
Earnings (4yr)
$55,003
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$46,110
Natl Median: $48,390
Lifetime Value Added
-$142k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$97,217
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$267k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,792
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Religious Education
BachCIP: 3904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,633
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$25,250
Earnings (4yr)
$53,359
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$73k
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,631
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$48,991
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$110k
Median Debt
$25,250
Earnings (4yr)
$41,633
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$172k
Median Debt
$25,527
Earnings (2yr)
$35,420
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$214k

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $96,564
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, Other
PB-CertCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,674
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$50,439
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
-$219k
Median Debt
$32,070
Earnings (4yr)
$93,500
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$147k
Median Debt
$32,728
Earnings (4yr)
$85,320
Natl Median: $125,988
Lifetime Value Added
+$76k
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (4yr)
$65,942
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
-$95k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,083
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,701
Earnings (4yr)
$128,910
Natl Median: $121,855
Lifetime Value Added
+$456k
Criminology
MastCIP: 4504
Median Debt
$30,672
Earnings (4yr)
$65,342
Natl Median: $67,647
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,978
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, Other
MastCIP: 1399
Median Debt
$21,238
Earnings (4yr)
$52,377
Natl Median: $65,348
Lifetime Value Added
-$220k
Median Debt
$29,829
Earnings (4yr)
$60,992
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$139k
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (4yr)
$73,376
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
-$29k
Median Debt
$32,911
Earnings (4yr)
$69,013
Natl Median: $83,558
Lifetime Value Added
-$68k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $106,092
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$45,324
Earnings (4yr)
$57,933
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$168k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$73,408
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
-$29k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$38,036
Earnings (4yr)
$53,095
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
-$213k
Median Debt
$29,158
Earnings (4yr)
$55,199
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$193k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$44,450
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
-$305k
Median Debt
$38,399
Earnings (4yr)
$46,956
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$272k
Median Debt
$24,501
Earnings (2yr)
$46,087
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$263k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$41,914
Earnings (4yr)
$83,439
Natl Median: $83,031
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,732
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
-$80k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,168
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,308
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,347
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.