College ROI

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McKendree University

Lebanon, IL 1,752 Undergrads 54.4% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$48,845
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$24,717
After Aid
Median Earnings
$60,630
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$24,717
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$60,630
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$58,572
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate54.4%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age23.1
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 Recipients31.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time93.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS77.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
71.7%
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
+$541k
+$74k
+$56k
Median Cost$25k/yr
+$452k
-$15k
-$33k
Full Cost$49k/yr
+$365k
-$102k
-$119k

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
37
∞
Median Cost$25k/yr
Never
-37%
Full Cost$49k/yr
Never
-68%
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-33%

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-70%
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.

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,250
Earnings (4yr)
$61,361
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$26,833
Earnings (4yr)
$59,238
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$44k
Biopsychology
BachCIP: 3010
Median Debt
$24,424
Earnings (4yr)
$58,057
Natl Median: $57,825
Lifetime Value Added
-$53k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,173
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,894
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$32,382
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$259k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$22,087
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
-$354k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,552
Earnings (4yr)
$63,519
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
-$10k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,294
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,264
Earnings (4yr)
$69,002
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
+$33k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$65,696
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$7k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$18,625
Earnings (2yr)
$41,565
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$177k
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
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$37,892
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$223k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$16,290
Earnings (4yr)
$79,916
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$116k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$25,625
Earnings (4yr)
$52,428
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$25,500
Earnings (4yr)
$52,784
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$97k
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$44,490
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$174k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$22,696
Earnings (4yr)
$89,945
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$107k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$71,192
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$58k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$20,813
Earnings (4yr)
$58,566
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$171k
Median Debt
$26,904
Earnings (4yr)
$61,988
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$140k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$103,725
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$227k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
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.