College ROI

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St Lawrence University

Canton, NY 1,918 Undergrads 82.6% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$82,000
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$28,651
After Aid
Median Earnings
$66,273
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$28,651
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$66,273
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$67,258
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate82.6%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.4
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients21.3%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time99.9%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS83.1%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
54.3%
SAT Avg
1,371
SAT Reading
25th: 64566575th: 710
SAT Math
25th: 61064575th: 710
ACT Composite
25th: 303175th: 33

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
+$585k
+$118k
+$101k
Median Cost$29k/yr
+$482k
+$15k
-$2k
Full Cost$82k/yr
+$290k
-$177k
-$194k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
32
∞
Median Cost$29k/yr
Never
-2%
Full Cost$82k/yr
Never
-66%
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-33%

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-75%
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

Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$69,386
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$22k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$82,269
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$120k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$72,839
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$48k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$41,638
Natl Median: $48,842
Lifetime Value Added
-$205k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$96,345
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$228k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,335
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$41k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$53,720
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$103k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,580
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$57,349
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$73k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$65,419
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
-$9k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$88,586
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$168k
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
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,451
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$75,486
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$68k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$62,479
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$32k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$23,649
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$353k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$60,518
Natl Median: $56,812
Lifetime Value Added
-$48k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$57,039
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$59,581
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$169k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,774
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.