College ROI

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Niagara University

Niagara University, NY 2,653 Undergrads 72.6% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$51,632
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$17,248
After Aid
Median Earnings
$67,652
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$17,248
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$67,652
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$56,196
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate72.6%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.6
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients26.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS77.8%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
87.4%
SAT Avg
1,168
SAT Reading
25th: 53057075th: 625
SAT Math
25th: 53057775th: 610
ACT Composite
25th: 222575th: 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)

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$596k
+$129k
+$111k
Median Cost$17k/yr
+$534k
+$67k
+$49k
Full Cost$52k/yr
+$410k
-$57k
-$74k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
31
∞
Median Cost$17k/yr
42
80%
Full Cost$52k/yr
Never
-40%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
  • 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 Return17%

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-57%
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

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$23,658
Earnings (4yr)
$66,459
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$40k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,681
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$60,737
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$14k
Median Debt
$19,750
Earnings (4yr)
$65,154
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$47,075
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$125k
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (2yr)
$37,208
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
-$189k
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
$26,997
Earnings (4yr)
$60,995
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
-$3k
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
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Gerontology
BachCIP: 3011
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,051
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,093
Earnings (5yr)
$54,265
Natl Median: $56,726
Lifetime Value Added
-$66k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$25,280
Earnings (4yr)
$73,611
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$95k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$28,055
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$272k
Median Debt
$26,211
Earnings (4yr)
$97,834
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$280k
Median Debt
$26,997
Earnings (4yr)
$55,947
Natl Median: $55,695
Lifetime Value Added
-$44k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,750
Earnings (4yr)
$50,897
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$53,000
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$76k
Median Debt
$26,026
Earnings (4yr)
$48,037
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$109k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,259
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$75,254
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
-$21k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$28,641
Earnings (5yr)
$99,537
Natl Median: $125,988
Lifetime Value Added
+$187k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $121,855
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Criminology
MastCIP: 4504
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,647
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,524
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$39,369
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$327k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,122
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$34,325
Earnings (5yr)
$54,195
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$209k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$56,151
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$190k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,509
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,774
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$81,188
Natl Median: $71,178
Lifetime Value Added
+$127k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $119,220
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.