College ROI

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Roberts Wesleyan University

Rochester, NY 1,149 Undergrads 70.9% Grad Rate
Share
Total Cost
$52,919
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$23,130
After Aid
Median Earnings
$64,802
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$23,130
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$64,802
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$55,031
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate70.9%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age26.0
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 Recipients38.1%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time86.0%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS80.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
70.6%
SAT Avg
1,170
SAT Reading
25th: 50556075th: 670
SAT Math
25th: 48557575th: 635
ACT Composite
25th: -2675th: -

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
+$574k
+$107k
+$89k
Median Cost$23k/yr
+$491k
+$24k
+$6k
Full Cost$53k/yr
+$383k
-$84k
-$101k

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
33
Median Cost$23k/yr
59
7%
Full Cost$53k/yr
Never
-53%
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-7%

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-64%
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$49,788
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$116k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, Other
BachCIP: 1399
Median Debt
$24,251
Earnings (4yr)
$48,623
Natl Median: $49,113
Lifetime Value Added
-$126k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,431
Earnings (4yr)
$62,455
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$12k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,934
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Homeland Security
BachCIP: 4303
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,193
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,750
Earnings (4yr)
$75,523
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
+$88k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,155
Earnings (4yr)
$40,527
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$194k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,303
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 (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,083
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$26,700
Earnings (4yr)
$43,566
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$168k
Median Debt
$18,750
Earnings (4yr)
$90,146
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$200k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,805
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$44,863
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$157k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,243
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$137k
Median Debt
$27,000
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
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$82,680
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$46k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$38,750
Earnings (4yr)
$70,567
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,651
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities
MastCIP: 5132
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$102,152
Natl Median: $100,487
Lifetime Value Added
+$217k
Marketing
MastCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $79,106
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$120,948
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$380k
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$38,717
Earnings (4yr)
$60,816
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
-$147k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,178
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$219k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$36,652
Earnings (4yr)
$45,683
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$291k

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.