College ROI

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Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA 2,259 Undergrads 77.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$58,158
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$25,955
After Aid
Median Earnings
$60,196
5yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$25,955
Peer Midpoint: $19,969
Earnings (5yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$60,196
Peer Midpoint: $61,632
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$60,377
Peer Midpoint: $58,891
Graduation Rate77.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.8
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients24.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time97.9%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS78.1%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
79.0%
SAT Avg
1,236
SAT Reading
25th: 57061575th: 680
SAT Math
25th: 54060575th: 670
ACT Composite
25th: 262775th: 31

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
+$531k
+$60k
+$44k
Median Cost$26k/yr
+$437k
-$33k
-$49k
Full Cost$58k/yr
+$321k
-$149k
-$165k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
39
∞
Median Cost$26k/yr
Never
-53%
Full Cost$58k/yr
Never
-79%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the median earnings five years after graduating, with four years of 2% raises taken out.
  • 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 Return-55%

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-79%

Program ROI Analysis

These figures are medians for past graduates who received federal aid. Your cost and pay will differ. Run your own numbers in the Guided ROI Interview →

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$81,907
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$129k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$56,005
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
-$74k
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Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
BachCIP: 5010
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,240
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,533
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$64,644
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$14k
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Biopsychology
BachCIP: 3010
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,825
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,105
Earnings (4yr)
$66,222
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
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Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$42,026
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$199k
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Communications Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1001
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $36,451
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$23,375
Earnings (4yr)
$74,941
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$76k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$31,581
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$272k
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Dance
BachCIP: 5003
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,980
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,753
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
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$84,927
Natl Median: $89,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$152k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,353
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$320k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$16,663
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
-$409k
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Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$41,649
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$195k
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Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,256
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
-$89k
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History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,250
Earnings (4yr)
$46,813
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
-$151k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$67,900
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$22k
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Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,983
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,114
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$23,750
Earnings (4yr)
$45,982
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$158k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$45,522
Natl Median: $50,497
Lifetime Value Added
-$162k
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Median Debt
$26,862
Earnings (4yr)
$77,824
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$98k
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Religious Education
BachCIP: 3904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$25,967
Natl Median: $43,633
Lifetime Value Added
-$323k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$52,511
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$103k
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Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$21,052
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$369k
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Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,887
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,672
Earnings (4yr)
$53,052
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
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Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,115
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$90k
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Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$60,976
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$152k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$55,080
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$218k
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Median Debt
$55,085
Earnings (4yr)
$55,966
Natl Median: $81,651
Lifetime Value Added
-$199k
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Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$32,196
Earnings (4yr)
$77,342
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
-$5k
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Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,965
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
Gr-CertCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$23,579
Natl Median: $69,448
Lifetime Value Added
-$464k
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Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,838
Natl Median: $81,978
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k
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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.