College ROI

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State University of New York at New Paltz

New Paltz, NY 6,086 Undergrads 76.0% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$28,428
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$18,809
After Aid
Median Earnings
$56,933
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$18,809
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$56,933
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$58,073
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate76.0%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age21.0
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients33.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time92.3%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS72.4%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
61.6%
SAT Avg
1,265
SAT Reading
25th: 60062475th: 690
SAT Math
25th: 57061075th: 650
ACT Composite
25th: 252775th: 29

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
+$511k
+$44k
+$27k
Median Cost$19k/yr
+$443k
-$24k
-$41k
Full Cost$28k/yr
+$409k
-$58k
-$76k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
44
∞
Median Cost$19k/yr
Never
-61%
Full Cost$28k/yr
Never
-74%
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-37%

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-63%
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
$22,042
Earnings (4yr)
$67,626
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$44k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
$15,750
Earnings (5yr)
$14,746
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$409k
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$51,093
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$15,250
Earnings (4yr)
$57,203
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$39k
Median Debt
$17,083
Earnings (4yr)
$57,350
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$68,890
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$43k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (4yr)
$60,929
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$9k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$60,112
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$15k
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$103,020
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$314k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$67,324
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$62k
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (5yr)
$57,835
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$43k
Median Debt
$19,875
Earnings (4yr)
$39,521
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$188k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$67,782
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$35k
Median Debt
$17,250
Earnings (5yr)
$98,100
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$262k
Median Debt
$20,250
Earnings (4yr)
$45,024
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$140k
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$45,563
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
-$136k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,353
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
-$293k
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (5yr)
$67,220
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$29,713
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$278k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$25,967
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
-$297k
Median Debt
$18,500
Earnings (5yr)
$56,558
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
-$53k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (5yr)
$49,161
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$57,641
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (5yr)
$52,654
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$85k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$21,052
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$342k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$17,250
Earnings (4yr)
$64,993
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$23k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,007
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$161k
Median Debt
$18,750
Earnings (4yr)
$89,504
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$211k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$15,288
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$395k
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
$18,472
Earnings (4yr)
$53,534
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$55,378
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Median Debt
$19,332
Earnings (4yr)
$47,453
Natl Median: $50,497
Lifetime Value Added
-$120k
Median Debt
$16,000
Earnings (5yr)
$60,084
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$25k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$20,941
Earnings (4yr)
$51,290
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$88k
Median Debt
$17,875
Earnings (4yr)
$53,267
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$71k
Median Debt
$20,674
Earnings (4yr)
$60,371
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Median Debt
$18,000
Earnings (4yr)
$41,097
Natl Median: $41,688
Lifetime Value Added
-$174k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$90,896
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$110k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$55,964
Natl Median: $71,241
Lifetime Value Added
-$164k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$84,763
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$72k
Median Debt
$40,520
Earnings (4yr)
$73,525
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $124,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, Other
MastCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$72,123
Natl Median: $65,348
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$94,408
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$190k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $133,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$21,023
Natl Median: $49,079
Lifetime Value Added
-$534k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,009
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$110k
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,416
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$68,520
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$70k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$71,542
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$44k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$52,107
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
-$201k

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.