College ROI

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North Carolina Central University

Durham, NC 6,081 Undergrads 52.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$26,556
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$15,359
After Aid
Median Earnings
$50,812
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$15,359
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$50,812
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$42,968
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate52.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients63.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time87.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS60.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
87.0%
SAT Avg
1,050
SAT Reading
25th: -54075th: -
SAT Math
25th: -50075th: -
ACT Composite
25th: 191875th: 22

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
+$460k
-$6k
-$24k
Median Cost$15k/yr
+$405k
-$62k
-$79k
Full Cost$27k/yr
+$365k
-$102k
-$120k

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
Never
-∞
Median Cost$15k/yr
Never
-143%
Full Cost$27k/yr
Never
-125%
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-125%

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-83%
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

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$78,048
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$136k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,192
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k
Median Debt
$28,500
Earnings (4yr)
$54,999
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,375
Earnings (4yr)
$43,230
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$143k
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
$88,053
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$212k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$48,443
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$48,054
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$110k
Median Debt
$28,375
Earnings (4yr)
$46,136
Natl Median: $48,460
Lifetime Value Added
-$119k
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
$42,067
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$153k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$30,747
Earnings (4yr)
$48,047
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$102k
Median Debt
$27,108
Earnings (4yr)
$42,085
Natl Median: $56,726
Lifetime Value Added
-$153k
Median Debt
$27,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$25,774
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$286k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$30,434
Earnings (4yr)
$42,426
Natl Median: $50,468
Lifetime Value Added
-$150k
Median Debt
$22,355
Earnings (4yr)
$88,454
Natl Median: $116,539
Lifetime Value Added
+$215k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$28,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,317
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$109k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$27,160
Earnings (4yr)
$44,053
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$136k
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
$90,760
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$233k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$50,688
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$89k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$43,859
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
-$138k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$28,000
Earnings (4yr)
$49,856
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$87k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
$44,678
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$131k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,794
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$55k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$47,124
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$110k

Master's Degrees

Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$59,393
Earnings (4yr)
$74,724
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$9k
Median Debt
$57,887
Earnings (4yr)
$65,600
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
-$90k
Median Debt
$49,707
Earnings (4yr)
$54,659
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
-$191k
Median Debt
$55,965
Earnings (4yr)
$72,023
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$33k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$64,318
Earnings (4yr)
$51,714
Natl Median: $60,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$219k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,463
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$53,309
Earnings (4yr)
$77,440
Natl Median: $112,705
Lifetime Value Added
+$14k
Median Debt
$40,625
Earnings (4yr)
$56,291
Natl Median: $56,301
Lifetime Value Added
-$175k
Mathematics
MastCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$86,964
Earnings (4yr)
$59,513
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$145k
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,803
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $129,214
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$76,881
Earnings (4yr)
$57,573
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
-$163k
Median Debt
$62,084
Earnings (4yr)
$65,374
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$44,062
Earnings (4yr)
$57,082
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
-$168k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$49,394
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$80,750
Earnings (4yr)
$57,412
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$165k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $101,096
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Professional Degrees

Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$117,597
Earnings (4yr)
$83,361
Natl Median: $107,773
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k

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.