College ROI

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Trinity University

San Antonio, TX 2,505 Undergrads 78.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$68,224
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$23,464
After Aid
Median Earnings
$67,249
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$23,464
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$67,249
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$71,668
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate78.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients17.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time99.0%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS79.7%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
25.9%
SAT Avg
1,416
SAT Reading
25th: 68069075th: 750
SAT Math
25th: 66068475th: 750
ACT Composite
25th: 313175th: 34

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
+$593k
+$126k
+$108k
Median Cost$23k/yr
+$508k
+$41k
+$24k
Full Cost$68k/yr
+$347k
-$120k
-$137k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
32
∞
Median Cost$23k/yr
50
28%
Full Cost$68k/yr
Never
-56%
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-14%

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-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

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$23,550
Earnings (4yr)
$96,844
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$250k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$21,250
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,697
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,392
Earnings (4yr)
$59,494
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Median Debt
$24,059
Earnings (4yr)
$98,708
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$264k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,642
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,842
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$88,904
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$176k
Engineering Science
BachCIP: 1413
Median Debt
$21,249
Earnings (4yr)
$86,823
Natl Median: $93,782
Lifetime Value Added
+$174k
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$81,363
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$132k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$27,295
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$301k
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
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,353
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$310k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,165
Earnings (4yr)
$68,095
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$22,541
Earnings (4yr)
$84,347
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$155k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
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
$24,000
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
$23,953
Earnings (4yr)
$68,934
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$37k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$28,816
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$287k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,892
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,695
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$59,266
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$48k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,169
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$31,670
Natl Median: $62,532
Lifetime Value Added
-$261k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$106,430
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$235k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$53,108
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$200k
Median Debt
$22,639
Earnings (4yr)
$76,590
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$8k
Median Debt
$77,910
Earnings (4yr)
$148,391
Natl Median: $89,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$617k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,567
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$197k

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.