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Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY 13,225 Undergrads 72.5% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$71,714
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$29,694
After Aid
Median Earnings
$76,571
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$29,694
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$76,571
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate72.5%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients28.1%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time97.5%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS81.5%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
71.4%
SAT Avg
1,378
SAT Reading
25th: 64067075th: 720
SAT Math
25th: 64069075th: 740
ACT Composite
25th: 293175th: 33
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
+$641k
+$245k
+$157k
Median Cost$30k/yr
+$534k
+$138k
+$50k
Full Cost$72k/yr
+$383k
-$13k
-$101k
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
29
∞
Median Cost$30k/yr
45
47%
Full Cost$72k/yr
Never
-39%
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 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-59%
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
Accounting and Related Services
BachCIP: 5203
Median Debt
$23,763
Earnings (5yr)
$76,778
Lifetime Value Added
+$63k
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
BachCIP: 5109
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$93,911
Lifetime Value Added
+$191k
American Sign Language
BachCIP: 1616
Median Debt
$24,584
Earnings (5yr)
$49,145
Lifetime Value Added
-$153k
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$88,153
Lifetime Value Added
+$148k
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1002
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$53,358
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$23,401
Earnings (5yr)
$63,011
Lifetime Value Added
-$41k
Biomedical/Medical Engineering
BachCIP: 1405
Median Debt
$28,308
Earnings (5yr)
$103,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$262k
Biotechnology
BachCIP: 2612
Median Debt
$23,937
Earnings (5yr)
$63,542
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
BachCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$19,687
Earnings (5yr)
$70,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$14k
Chemical Engineering
BachCIP: 1407
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (5yr)
$100,264
Lifetime Value Added
+$239k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$24,677
Earnings (2yr)
$42,682
Lifetime Value Added
-$185k
Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1502
Median Debt
$25,250
Earnings (5yr)
$77,998
Lifetime Value Added
+$72k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
BachCIP: 1101
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$101,985
Lifetime Value Added
+$252k
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1512
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (2yr)
$64,990
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Computer Engineering
BachCIP: 1409
Median Debt
$28,000
Earnings (5yr)
$122,991
Lifetime Value Added
+$408k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$136,522
Lifetime Value Added
+$508k
Computer Software and Media Applications
BachCIP: 1108
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$99,801
Lifetime Value Added
+$235k
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications
BachCIP: 1109
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (5yr)
$119,606
Lifetime Value Added
+$383k
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management
BachCIP: 1110
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$136,339
Lifetime Value Added
+$506k
Criminal Justice and Corrections
BachCIP: 4301
Median Debt
$24,686
Earnings (5yr)
$51,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$132k
Design and Applied Arts
BachCIP: 5004
Median Debt
$26,646
Earnings (5yr)
$55,746
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$27,082
Earnings (2yr)
$50,270
Lifetime Value Added
-$118k
Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1503
Median Debt
$27,250
Earnings (5yr)
$92,742
Lifetime Value Added
+$182k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
BachCIP: 1410
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$95,812
Lifetime Value Added
+$205k
Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1504
Median Debt
$30,750
Earnings (5yr)
$91,990
Lifetime Value Added
+$177k
Engineering-Related Fields
BachCIP: 1515
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$92,817
Lifetime Value Added
+$183k
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1505
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,544
Lifetime Value Added
+$144k
Film/Video and Photographic Arts
BachCIP: 5006
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$51,613
Lifetime Value Added
-$133k
Finance and Financial Management Services
BachCIP: 5208
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$89,375
Lifetime Value Added
+$157k
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services
BachCIP: 1905
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$56,171
Lifetime Value Added
-$96k
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations
BachCIP: 5218
Median Debt
$23,625
Earnings (5yr)
$73,239
Lifetime Value Added
+$36k
Graphic Communications
BachCIP: 1003
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$77,838
Lifetime Value Added
+$71k
Hospitality Administration/Management
BachCIP: 5209
Median Debt
$25,463
Earnings (5yr)
$41,308
Lifetime Value Added
-$218k
Industrial Engineering
BachCIP: 1435
Median Debt
$30,677
Earnings (5yr)
$105,893
Lifetime Value Added
+$281k
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
BachCIP: 2401
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$45,964
Lifetime Value Added
-$179k
Management Information Systems and Services
BachCIP: 5212
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$98,398
Lifetime Value Added
+$225k
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1508
Median Debt
$28,000
Earnings (5yr)
$89,798
Lifetime Value Added
+$160k
Mechanical Engineering
BachCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$91,471
Lifetime Value Added
+$173k
Medical Illustration and Informatics
BachCIP: 5127
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$69,096
Lifetime Value Added
+$5k
Physical Sciences
BachCIP: 4001
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$63,005
Lifetime Value Added
-$12k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (2yr)
$47,260
Lifetime Value Added
-$145k
Political Science and Government
BachCIP: 4510
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,353
Lifetime Value Added
-$332k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$23,908
Earnings (5yr)
$51,725
Lifetime Value Added
-$132k
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
BachCIP: 0909
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (5yr)
$63,502
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Master's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
MastCIP: 5203
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$48,823
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions
MastCIP: 5109
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$131,823
Lifetime Value Added
+$656k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
MastCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$37,545
Earnings (5yr)
$89,898
Lifetime Value Added
+$298k
Computer Engineering
MastCIP: 1409
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$90,637
Lifetime Value Added
+$352k
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$171,690
Lifetime Value Added
+$994k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
MastCIP: 1410
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$88,198
Lifetime Value Added
+$330k
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians
MastCIP: 1505
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$74,576
Lifetime Value Added
+$206k
Industrial Engineering
MastCIP: 1435
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$109,684
Lifetime Value Added
+$468k
Mechanical Engineering
MastCIP: 1419
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$101,671
Lifetime Value Added
+$399k
Statistics
MastCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$104,267
Lifetime Value Added
+$421k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
MastCIP: 1312
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$40,467
Lifetime Value Added
-$122k
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.