College ROI

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Southern Connecticut State University

New Haven, CT 6,295 Undergrads 57.6% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$29,673
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$20,857
After Aid
Median Earnings
$59,787
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$20,857
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$59,787
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$55,043
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate57.6%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age21.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients43.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time87.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS74.3%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
91.5%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

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
+$534k
+$67k
+$50k
Median Cost$21k/yr
+$459k
-$8k
-$25k
Full Cost$30k/yr
+$427k
-$40k
-$57k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
38
∞
Median Cost$21k/yr
Never
-34%
Full Cost$30k/yr
Never
-54%
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 Return-1%

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-54%
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
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$74,538
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$89k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
$20,866
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$20,545
Earnings (4yr)
$67,791
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$37k
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$63,310
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$3k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$72,838
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
+$76k
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$56,694
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$50k
Median Debt
$19,872
Earnings (4yr)
$61,336
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Median Debt
$24,713
Earnings (4yr)
$87,705
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$190k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$52,659
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$84k
Median Debt
$23,986
Earnings (4yr)
$50,725
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Median Debt
$20,976
Earnings (4yr)
$36,387
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$222k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,459
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$20,101
Earnings (4yr)
$50,760
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
Median Debt
$23,500
Earnings (4yr)
$53,411
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$77k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $36,949
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,532
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: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,931
Earnings (4yr)
$53,522
Natl Median: $50,468
Lifetime Value Added
-$77k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,212
Earnings (4yr)
$45,270
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$146k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$50,642
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$53,997
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$73k
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (4yr)
$98,870
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$275k
Median Debt
$16,750
Earnings (4yr)
$47,944
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$123k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$47,042
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
-$131k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$59,438
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$52,249
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$87k
Median Debt
$25,750
Earnings (4yr)
$60,365
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$21k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$50,379
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$103k
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$60,780
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$17k

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,165
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,258
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,623
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,241
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$29,500
Earnings (4yr)
$96,254
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$169k
Chemistry
MastCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,937
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,570
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$136k
Median Debt
$32,996
Earnings (4yr)
$65,786
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $124,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$35,000
Earnings (4yr)
$52,477
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$221k
Education, Other
MastCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,348
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,705
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$63,169
Natl Median: $56,301
Lifetime Value Added
-$133k
Mathematics
MastCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,932
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$133k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$48,849
Natl Median: $57,803
Lifetime Value Added
-$237k
Physics
MastCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $96,478
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $78,850
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$25,262
Earnings (4yr)
$54,350
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
-$204k
Public Health
MastCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$70,335
Natl Median: $82,751
Lifetime Value Added
-$58k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$138,364
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$535k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,728
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,443
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$66,503
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Sociology
MastCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,330
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,120
Earnings (4yr)
$65,840
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$67,232
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Median Debt
$39,563
Earnings (4yr)
$66,607
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$91k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$61,554
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$137k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,363
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
Gr-CertCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,581
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$59,566
Natl Median: $65,509
Lifetime Value Added
-$84k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$70,543
Natl Median: $70,138
Lifetime Value Added
+$23k
Education, General
Gr-CertCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$53,291
Natl Median: $69,448
Lifetime Value Added
-$159k
Median Debt
$31,946
Earnings (4yr)
$87,346
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
+$182k
History
Gr-CertCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,756
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,763
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$66,321
Natl Median: $69,147
Lifetime Value Added
-$18k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$62,217
Natl Median: $64,774
Lifetime Value Added
-$70k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,709
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$67,807
Natl Median: $69,444
Lifetime Value Added
-$4k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$48,721
Earnings (4yr)
$113,578
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
+$120k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Biology, General
DegCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,021
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
DegCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,645
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,758
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,684
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$67,322
Natl Median: $70,406
Lifetime Value Added
-$224k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,347
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

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.