College ROI

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St. Mary's University

San Antonio, TX 1,951 Undergrads 57.9% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$47,999
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$21,145
After Aid
Median Earnings
$58,545
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$21,145
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$58,545
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$56,955
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate57.9%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.3
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients42.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time97.4%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS72.8%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
97.8%
SAT Avg
1,089
SAT Reading
25th: 465-75th: 665
SAT Math
25th: 435-75th: 645
ACT Composite
25th: 15-75th: 27

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
+$524k
+$57k
+$40k
Median Cost$21k/yr
+$448k
-$19k
-$36k
Full Cost$48k/yr
+$351k
-$116k
-$133k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
40
∞
Median Cost$21k/yr
Never
-48%
Full Cost$48k/yr
Never
-77%
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-49%

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-74%
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
$81,100
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$46,873
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$133k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$50,255
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$113k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,523
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$54,049
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$82k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$78,406
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$118k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$46,782
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
$25,067
Earnings (4yr)
$48,731
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
-$118k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,452
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Engineering Science
BachCIP: 1413
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $93,782
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $89,619
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$51,014
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,027
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,389
Earnings (4yr)
$82,753
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$151k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $98,442
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$58,487
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
-$46k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$24,267
Earnings (4yr)
$66,151
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$24k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$42,436
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$178k
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
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
$19,250
Earnings (4yr)
$46,620
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$135k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$41,580
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$178k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $57,805
Lifetime Value Added
-$232k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$22,625
Earnings (4yr)
$52,553
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$86k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,535
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$96,034
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$167k
Median Debt
$52,375
Earnings (4yr)
$92,592
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
+$137k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $136,736
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $121,855
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$88,214
Natl Median: $95,627
Lifetime Value Added
+$83k
Law
MastCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,265
Natl Median: $65,341
Lifetime Value Added
-$205k
Median Debt
$58,038
Earnings (4yr)
$72,775
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Systems Engineering
MastCIP: 1427
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $144,565
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,300
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $77,066
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,794
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Professional Degrees

Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$145,002
Earnings (4yr)
$87,375
Natl Median: $107,773
Lifetime Value Added
-$76k

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.