College ROI

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New Jersey City University

Jersey City, NJ 3,681 Undergrads 53.9% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$28,255
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$16,053
After Aid
Median Earnings
$60,965
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$16,053
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$60,965
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$52,745
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate53.9%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age24.4
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 Recipients54.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time89.3%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS68.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
98.4%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: -50575th: -
SAT Math
25th: -51075th: -
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
+$543k
+$77k
+$59k
Median Cost$16k/yr
+$486k
+$19k
+$1k
Full Cost$28k/yr
+$442k
-$25k
-$43k

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
36
∞
Median Cost$16k/yr
63
2%
Full Cost$28k/yr
Never
-42%
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 Return20%

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-47%
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
$19,375
Earnings (4yr)
$66,244
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$43k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (4yr)
$60,104
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$6k
Median Debt
$19,750
Earnings (4yr)
$59,925
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$7k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$14,750
Earnings (4yr)
$44,625
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k
Median Debt
$18,689
Earnings (4yr)
$65,368
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$36k
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (4yr)
$55,293
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,401
Earnings (4yr)
$60,574
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$2k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,400
Earnings (4yr)
$71,548
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$84k
Median Debt
$17,974
Earnings (4yr)
$41,077
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$164k
Fire Protection
BachCIP: 4302
Median Debt
$24,555
Earnings (4yr)
$69,444
Natl Median: $86,436
Lifetime Value Added
+$67k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$52,151
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
-$71k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$21,410
Earnings (4yr)
$47,200
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$112k
Homeland Security
BachCIP: 4303
Median Debt
$13,875
Earnings (4yr)
$63,137
Natl Median: $70,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$19k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,983
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
-$47k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$20,250
Earnings (4yr)
$58,323
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$20k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$35,729
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$210k
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)
$43,544
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$143k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (4yr)
$46,575
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$117k
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$102,386
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$319k
Median Debt
$18,232
Earnings (4yr)
$55,075
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$46k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$22,550
Earnings (4yr)
$44,151
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$25,465
Earnings (4yr)
$83,582
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$67k
Median Debt
$34,962
Earnings (4yr)
$74,822
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$10k
Median Debt
$41,971
Earnings (4yr)
$69,436
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$50,300
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
-$233k
Median Debt
$28,404
Earnings (4yr)
$75,994
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$410
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$71,597
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,486
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$75,204
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
+$20k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,079
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$36,746
Earnings (4yr)
$86,620
Natl Median: $78,149
Lifetime Value Added
+$94k
Homeland Security
MastCIP: 4303
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$88,249
Natl Median: $96,660
Lifetime Value Added
+$108k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $124,807
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$82,054
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
+$54k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$33,271
Earnings (4yr)
$74,452
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Median Debt
$60,684
Earnings (4yr)
$64,068
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$105k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$67,341
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$76k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$89,225
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
+$116k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$103,042
Natl Median: $81,822
Lifetime Value Added
+$59k

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.