College ROI

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Quinnipiac University

Hamden, CT 6,531 Undergrads 79.3% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$72,215
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$40,675
After Aid
Median Earnings
$84,363
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$40,675
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$84,363
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$83,759
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate79.3%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.1
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients16.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS86.8%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
72.2%
SAT Avg
1,242
SAT Reading
25th: 580-75th: 660
SAT Math
25th: 570-75th: 660
ACT Composite
25th: 25-75th: 30

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
+$724k
+$257k
+$239k
Median Cost$41k/yr
+$577k
+$110k
+$93k
Full Cost$72k/yr
+$464k
-$3k
-$21k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
27
∞
Median Cost$41k/yr
41
63%
Full Cost$72k/yr
Never
-8%
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 Return76%

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-42%
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
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$103,533
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$239k
Median Debt
$26,520
Earnings (4yr)
$86,337
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$108k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$70,632
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$12k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$82,357
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$78k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$63,012
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$71k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$77,324
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$39k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$84,242
Natl Median: $58,894
Lifetime Value Added
+$79k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$79,098
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
+$53k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,419
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$84k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$23,750
Earnings (4yr)
$100,141
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$213k
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$54,574
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$139k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$91,828
Natl Median: $61,027
Lifetime Value Added
+$150k
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$52,094
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
-$160k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$86,474
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$109k
Median Debt
$25,945
Earnings (4yr)
$80,374
Natl Median: $68,245
Lifetime Value Added
+$62k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,500
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$148k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $98,442
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$93,037
Natl Median: $85,294
Lifetime Value Added
+$159k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$77,823
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$43k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$23,750
Earnings (4yr)
$61,819
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$81k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$60,549
Natl Median: $57,149
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$95,200
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
+$176k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (4yr)
$83,258
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$84k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$89,732
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$134k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,582
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Non-Professional Legal Studies
BachCIP: 2200
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$74,835
Natl Median: $61,959
Lifetime Value Added
+$20k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$73,833
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$12k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,510
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$83k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,630
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$73,547
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
+$10k
Median Debt
$26,874
Earnings (4yr)
$98,641
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$202k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (2yr)
$29,141
Natl Median: $55,695
Lifetime Value Added
-$346k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$67,262
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,629
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$121,075
Earnings (4yr)
$115,669
Natl Median: $162,386
Lifetime Value Added
+$302k
Median Debt
$71,500
Earnings (4yr)
$140,822
Natl Median: $127,347
Lifetime Value Added
+$520k
Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$94,066
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
+$114k
Median Debt
$33,500
Earnings (4yr)
$109,384
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$248k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,837
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$62,165
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
-$178k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$75,262
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$64k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$93,639
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
+$110k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$100,421
Natl Median: $83,558
Lifetime Value Added
+$169k
Journalism
MastCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$39,741
Natl Median: $69,034
Lifetime Value Added
-$366k
Median Debt
$31,400
Earnings (4yr)
$144,160
Natl Median: $124,807
Lifetime Value Added
+$549k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$148,658
Natl Median: $198,417
Lifetime Value Added
+$563k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $84,750
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$121,741
Natl Median: $67,681
Lifetime Value Added
+$355k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $80,125
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$33,381
Earnings (4yr)
$80,508
Natl Median: $75,972
Lifetime Value Added
-$5k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$35,304
Earnings (4yr)
$80,998
Natl Median: $71,416
Lifetime Value Added
-$906
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$54,800
Earnings (4yr)
$71,091
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
-$88k
Median Debt
$31,586
Earnings (4yr)
$64,220
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$149k
Median Debt
$24,766
Earnings (4yr)
$59,725
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$190k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$99,431
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
+$279k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $99,117
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,147
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Medicine
DocCIP: 5112
Median Debt
$213,795
Earnings (4yr)
$108,362
Natl Median: $118,504
Lifetime Value Added
+$10k
Median Debt
$76,500
Earnings (4yr)
$144,224
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
+$274k
Median Debt
$72,840
Earnings (4yr)
$89,505
Natl Median: $82,893
Lifetime Value Added
-$130k

Professional Degrees

Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$81,000
Earnings (4yr)
$100,096
Natl Median: $107,773
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k

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.