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Madison Area Technical College

Madison, WI 10,073 Undergrads 45.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$19,434
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$14,238
After Aid
Median Earnings
$55,207
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$14,238
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$55,207
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$45,413
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate45.2%
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 Age25.2
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 Recipients28.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time34.4%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS69.3%

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
+$497k
+$30k
+$12k
Median Cost$14k/yr
+$446k
-$21k
-$39k
Full Cost$19k/yr
+$427k
-$40k
-$58k

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
51
∞
Median Cost$14k/yr
Never
-76%
Full Cost$19k/yr
Never
-82%
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-43%

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-54%
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)
$47,160
Natl Median: $44,589
Lifetime Value Added
+$49k
Median Debt
$14,250
Earnings (4yr)
$37,419
Natl Median: $34,272
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Median Debt
$9,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,707
Natl Median: $57,584
Lifetime Value Added
+$231k
Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/Technicians
CertCIP: 4101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,658
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$57,022
Natl Median: $47,440
Lifetime Value Added
+$153k
Carpenters
CertCIP: 4602
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$45,371
Natl Median: $41,835
Lifetime Value Added
+$29k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,556
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,400
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,162
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$9,000
Earnings (4yr)
$63,109
Natl Median: $52,615
Lifetime Value Added
+$215k
Median Debt
$8,875
Earnings (4yr)
$39,022
Natl Median: $26,307
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,702
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$44,206
Natl Median: $30,572
Lifetime Value Added
+$17k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$28,960
Natl Median: $33,673
Lifetime Value Added
-$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,078
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
CertCIP: 4701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,027
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,211
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Fire Protection
CertCIP: 4302
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,436
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (4yr)
$44,022
Natl Median: $35,447
Lifetime Value Added
+$15k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $36,139
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,148
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians
CertCIP: 4703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$78,677
Natl Median: $62,199
Lifetime Value Added
+$367k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $40,962
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $31,135
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,907
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Insurance
CertCIP: 5217
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $80,539
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
CertCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,757
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $38,061
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,996
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$51,069
Natl Median: $56,073
Lifetime Value Added
+$90k
Median Debt
$9,500
Earnings (4yr)
$52,408
Natl Median: $48,702
Lifetime Value Added
+$104k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $33,711
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $29,652
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $40,127
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
CertCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $37,647
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $34,631
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
CertCIP: 4706
Median Debt
$9,500
Earnings (4yr)
$53,540
Natl Median: $51,586
Lifetime Value Added
+$116k
Woodworking
CertCIP: 4807
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,664
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
$16,001
Earnings (4yr)
$48,787
Natl Median: $47,660
Lifetime Value Added
+$10k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,712
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$10,936
Earnings (4yr)
$43,977
Natl Median: $42,269
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (4yr)
$63,865
Natl Median: $65,389
Lifetime Value Added
+$154k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,767
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology/Biotechnology Technologies/Technicians
AssocCIP: 4101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,168
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (4yr)
$54,876
Natl Median: $48,733
Lifetime Value Added
+$69k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$44,820
Natl Median: $37,587
Lifetime Value Added
-$29k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,519
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$14,462
Earnings (4yr)
$65,303
Natl Median: $57,472
Lifetime Value Added
+$167k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$13,149
Earnings (4yr)
$80,056
Natl Median: $41,737
Lifetime Value Added
+$300k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$69,759
Natl Median: $54,971
Lifetime Value Added
+$208k
Median Debt
$17,678
Earnings (4yr)
$64,982
Natl Median: $54,726
Lifetime Value Added
+$165k
Median Debt
$13,375
Earnings (4yr)
$60,863
Natl Median: $46,706
Lifetime Value Added
+$126k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$42,667
Natl Median: $39,605
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k
Median Debt
$14,407
Earnings (4yr)
$72,145
Natl Median: $61,982
Lifetime Value Added
+$229k
Median Debt
$12,120
Earnings (4yr)
$47,515
Natl Median: $38,127
Lifetime Value Added
-$3k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$64,565
Natl Median: $55,895
Lifetime Value Added
+$161k
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
AssocCIP: 1503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$59,588
Natl Median: $67,792
Lifetime Value Added
+$114k
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians
AssocCIP: 1504
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,046
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,913
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Fire Protection
AssocCIP: 4302
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,589
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $36,221
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,573
Natl Median: $37,073
Lifetime Value Added
+$8k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$51,279
Natl Median: $41,099
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$56,326
Natl Median: $54,425
Lifetime Value Added
+$83k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$44,946
Natl Median: $44,669
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
Median Debt
$12,750
Earnings (4yr)
$50,870
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Marketing
AssocCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,479
Natl Median: $44,264
Lifetime Value Added
+$7k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$37,970
Natl Median: $40,734
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,884
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,874
Earnings (4yr)
$80,118
Natl Median: $80,813
Lifetime Value Added
+$301k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,002
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $37,656
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
AssocCIP: 4706
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,424
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$14,250
Earnings (4yr)
$41,811
Natl Median: $41,460
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $28,311
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

Legal Support Services
PB-CertCIP: 2203
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,073
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.