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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY 5,909 Undergrads 86.7% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$79,934
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$33,139
After Aid
Median Earnings
$102,051
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$33,139
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$102,051
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate86.7%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients18.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time99.5%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS90.3%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
58.5%
SAT Avg
1,415
SAT Reading
25th: 65070075th: 730
SAT Math
25th: 68074075th: 770
ACT Composite
25th: 303375th: 34
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
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
+$828k
+$432k
+$344k
Median Cost$33k/yr
+$709k
+$313k
+$225k
Full Cost$80k/yr
+$541k
+$144k
+$56k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
26
∞
Median Cost$33k/yr
32
188%
Full Cost$80k/yr
50
20%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year 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 Return127%
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-27%
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 with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Bachelor's Degrees
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
BachCIP: 1402
Median Debt
$24,861
Earnings (5yr)
$98,049
Lifetime Value Added
+$210k
Architecture
BachCIP: 0402
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (5yr)
$74,873
Lifetime Value Added
+$36k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$25,455
Earnings (5yr)
$77,153
Lifetime Value Added
+$53k
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
BachCIP: 1405
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (5yr)
$111,812
Lifetime Value Added
+$312k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
BachCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$100,765
Lifetime Value Added
+$230k
Chemical Engineering
BachCIP: 1407
Median Debt
$24,985
Earnings (5yr)
$107,062
Lifetime Value Added
+$277k
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$26,250
Earnings (5yr)
$94,283
Lifetime Value Added
+$182k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
BachCIP: 1101
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$170,829
Lifetime Value Added
+$748k
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1512
Median Debt
$23,582
Earnings (5yr)
$135,609
Lifetime Value Added
+$489k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$23,233
Earnings (5yr)
$148,254
Lifetime Value Added
+$582k
Design and Applied Arts
BachCIP: 5004
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (2yr)
$26,739
Lifetime Value Added
-$341k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$92,037
Lifetime Value Added
+$165k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
BachCIP: 1410
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$116,079
Lifetime Value Added
+$344k
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering
BachCIP: 1414
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$88,236
Lifetime Value Added
+$136k
Industrial Engineering
BachCIP: 1435
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (5yr)
$117,724
Lifetime Value Added
+$356k
Materials Engineering
BachCIP: 1418
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$84,117
Lifetime Value Added
+$105k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$106,266
Lifetime Value Added
+$271k
Mechanical Engineering
BachCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$24,121
Earnings (5yr)
$94,402
Lifetime Value Added
+$182k
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
BachCIP: 3099
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (5yr)
$94,499
Lifetime Value Added
+$183k
Nuclear Engineering
BachCIP: 1423
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$97,907
Lifetime Value Added
+$209k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$20,270
Earnings (5yr)
$111,815
Lifetime Value Added
+$313k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$31,305
Lifetime Value Added
-$299k
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication
BachCIP: 0907
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$73,497
Lifetime Value Added
+$26k
Master's Degrees
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
MastCIP: 1402
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$88,506
Lifetime Value Added
+$326k
Applied Mathematics
MastCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$114,004
Lifetime Value Added
+$498k
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
MastCIP: 1405
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$71,854
Lifetime Value Added
+$174k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
MastCIP: 5202
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$132,930
Lifetime Value Added
+$659k
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$100,133
Lifetime Value Added
+$380k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
MastCIP: 1101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$88,198
Lifetime Value Added
+$323k
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$162,992
Lifetime Value Added
+$914k
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations
MastCIP: 5207
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$69,338
Lifetime Value Added
+$151k
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
MastCIP: 5213
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$127,402
Lifetime Value Added
+$613k
Mechanical Engineering
MastCIP: 1419
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$108,034
Lifetime Value Added
+$447k
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, 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 degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.