College ROI

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Southern University and A & M College

Baton Rouge, LA 5,519 Undergrads 37.8% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$26,341
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$20,077
After Aid
Median Earnings
$54,666
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$20,077
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$54,666
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Warning: This school's reported earnings inflated significantly (+26%) when the Dept of Education excluded non-graduates from the dataset. Take caution when comparing.
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$43,371
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate37.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Warning: The majority of students at this institution do not graduate. Non-completers typically earn significantly less and face higher debt risks.
Average Starting Age21.1
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients72.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time90.4%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS55.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
35.1%
SAT Avg
942
SAT Reading
25th: 41047375th: 530
SAT Math
25th: 38045575th: 490
ACT Composite
25th: 151775th: 19

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
+$492k
+$25k
+$8k
Median Cost$20k/yr
+$420k
-$47k
-$64k
Full Cost$26k/yr
+$398k
-$69k
-$87k

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
54
∞
Median Cost$20k/yr
Never
-89%
Full Cost$26k/yr
Never
-92%
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-66%

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-68%
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
$25,250
Earnings (4yr)
$53,159
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
-$77k
Median Debt
$26,514
Earnings (2yr)
$38,829
Natl Median: $53,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$185k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$29,067
Earnings (4yr)
$44,880
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$146k
Median Debt
$28,750
Earnings (4yr)
$48,716
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$31,125
Earnings (4yr)
$68,016
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
+$42k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$48,264
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$118k
Median Debt
$35,124
Earnings (4yr)
$51,611
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$90k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$28,750
Earnings (4yr)
$58,951
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
-$29k
Median Debt
$27,125
Earnings (4yr)
$49,609
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$106k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$52,107
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
-$68k
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $84,599
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$56,037
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$62k
Median Debt
$33,458
Earnings (4yr)
$48,596
Natl Median: $48,460
Lifetime Value Added
-$115k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Forestry
BachCIP: 0305
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,784
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$56,097
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
-$53k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$28,437
Earnings (4yr)
$92,969
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$233k
Median Debt
$36,603
Earnings (4yr)
$50,616
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
$41,901
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$172k
Median Debt
$31,000
Earnings (4yr)
$86,838
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$186k
Median Debt
$35,071
Earnings (4yr)
$41,311
Natl Median: $55,792
Lifetime Value Added
-$177k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$30,000
Earnings (4yr)
$52,217
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$29,216
Earnings (4yr)
$43,844
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$155k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$49,378
Earnings (4yr)
$73,081
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$33k
Median Debt
$67,308
Earnings (4yr)
$49,918
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$245k
Median Debt
$47,498
Earnings (4yr)
$64,924
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
-$105k
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$36,250
Earnings (4yr)
$56,111
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
-$186k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$55,368
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$203k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,215
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Forestry
MastCIP: 0305
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$61,538
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$146k
Median Debt
$45,137
Earnings (4yr)
$55,482
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
-$192k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$120,049
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$378k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$39,909
Natl Median: $71,416
Lifetime Value Added
-$326k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,443
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Forestry
DocCIP: 0305
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,046
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $108,943
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $119,220
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,168
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Professional Degrees

Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$118,010
Earnings (4yr)
$67,462
Natl Median: $107,773
Lifetime Value Added
-$220k

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.