College ROI

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University of Dayton

Dayton, OH 7,682 Undergrads 80.3% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$65,881
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$29,533
After Aid
Median Earnings
$78,870
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$29,533
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$78,870
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$75,537
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate80.3%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.6
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients15.8%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time97.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS88.9%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
65.5%
SAT Avg
1,335
SAT Reading
25th: 60061575th: 690
SAT Math
25th: 60061575th: 690
ACT Composite
25th: 252675th: 31

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
+$682k
+$215k
+$197k
Median Cost$30k/yr
+$575k
+$108k
+$91k
Full Cost$66k/yr
+$445k
-$22k
-$40k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
28
∞
Median Cost$30k/yr
39
86%
Full Cost$66k/yr
Never
-17%
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 Return60%

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-46%
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

Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,019
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$26,973
Earnings (4yr)
$90,314
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$178k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$25,125
Earnings (4yr)
$67,414
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$3k
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$92,317
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$194k
Median Debt
$22,698
Earnings (4yr)
$84,595
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$135k
Median Debt
$22,999
Earnings (4yr)
$97,184
Natl Median: $98,158
Lifetime Value Added
+$231k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$83,460
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
+$126k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$67,231
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$2k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,742
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,090
Earnings (4yr)
$116,356
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$377k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$102,468
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$271k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$60,583
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$50k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$66,679
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
-$2k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$60,873
Natl Median: $55,753
Lifetime Value Added
-$48k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,448
Natl Median: $48,842
Lifetime Value Added
-$108k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$22,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,502
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
-$43k
Education, Other
BachCIP: 1399
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,113
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$95,595
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$219k
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians
BachCIP: 1503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $84,599
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,398
Earnings (4yr)
$57,868
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$72k
Median Debt
$25,492
Earnings (4yr)
$77,318
Natl Median: $61,027
Lifetime Value Added
+$79k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$95,925
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$221k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$15,922
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$428k
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
Median Debt
$23,562
Earnings (4yr)
$76,475
Natl Median: $61,911
Lifetime Value Added
+$73k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$26,912
Earnings (4yr)
$57,218
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$77k
Median Debt
$26,750
Earnings (4yr)
$82,332
Natl Median: $80,890
Lifetime Value Added
+$117k
Median Debt
$24,750
Earnings (4yr)
$84,485
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$134k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
$24,125
Earnings (4yr)
$68,196
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$45,696
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$158k
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (4yr)
$107,354
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
+$308k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$23,750
Earnings (4yr)
$80,677
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$105k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$80,475
Natl Median: $82,073
Lifetime Value Added
+$103k
Median Debt
$23,758
Earnings (4yr)
$88,339
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$163k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
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: $116,539
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
$109,604
Natl Median: $62,172
Lifetime Value Added
+$325k
Median Debt
$24,687
Earnings (4yr)
$68,731
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$13k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,909
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$96k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,792
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$262k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$47,745
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$156k
Median Debt
$19,985
Earnings (4yr)
$51,389
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$125k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$63,592
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k
Median Debt
$20,872
Earnings (4yr)
$47,775
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$156k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$96,549
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$156k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $122,434
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$135,875
Natl Median: $162,386
Lifetime Value Added
+$498k
Median Debt
$121,602
Earnings (4yr)
$121,087
Natl Median: $127,347
Lifetime Value Added
+$370k
Applied Mathematics
MastCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $116,060
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $106,375
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,625
Earnings (5yr)
$93,642
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$114k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,468
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
MastCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,937
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
MastCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $98,323
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$29,476
Earnings (4yr)
$56,688
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$198k
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
$18,786
Earnings (4yr)
$63,216
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$137k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$108,507
Natl Median: $133,654
Lifetime Value Added
+$260k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $125,651
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Engineering, Other
MastCIP: 1499
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$96,014
Natl Median: $129,974
Lifetime Value Added
+$151k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $101,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $124,807
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$78,971
Natl Median: $122,873
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$111,351
Natl Median: $112,282
Lifetime Value Added
+$285k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $115,974
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$44,742
Earnings (4yr)
$52,889
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$233k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $75,122
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,024
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$87,234
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
+$74k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$55,911
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$205k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
MastCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,033
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$28,780
Earnings (4yr)
$50,614
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$255k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$59,112
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$186k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$58,975
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$176k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,300
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$42,682
Natl Median: $42,682
Lifetime Value Added
-$249k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$45,808
Natl Median: $59,417
Lifetime Value Added
-$215k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,178
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,660
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
DocCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,983
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $157,305
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Law
DocCIP: 2201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$83,478
Natl Median: $105,518
Lifetime Value Added
-$147k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $130,845
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $131,070
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$106,940
Earnings (4yr)
$77,589
Natl Median: $82,893
Lifetime Value Added
-$179k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,982
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.