College ROI

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University of Houston-Downtown

Houston, TX 12,555 Undergrads 55.5% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$20,749
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$10,542
After Aid
Median Earnings
$60,550
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$10,542
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$60,550
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$53,551
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate55.5%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age27.0
Warning: High average starting age indicates non-traditional students with prior work experience, which may inflate the median earnings shown.
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients53.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time47.0%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS72.8%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
90.0%
SAT Avg
1,029
SAT Reading
25th: 480-75th: 560
SAT Math
25th: 460-75th: 550
ACT Composite
25th: 16-75th: 22

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)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$540k
+$73k
+$56k
Median Cost$11k/yr
+$502k
+$35k
+$18k
Full Cost$21k/yr
+$465k
-$1k
-$19k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
37
∞
Median Cost$11k/yr
50
47%
Full Cost$21k/yr
Never
-25%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ Warning: The high average starting age or low completion rate may inflate the Median earnings and ROI shown.
  • 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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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 Return56%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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-31%
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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$19,750
Earnings (4yr)
$67,499
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$72k
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,765
Earnings (4yr)
$56,995
Natl Median: $58,891
Lifetime Value Added
-$11k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$21,527
Earnings (4yr)
$56,787
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Biotechnology
BachCIP: 2612
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,097
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,875
Earnings (4yr)
$69,712
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$89k
Median Debt
$20,099
Earnings (4yr)
$59,188
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$7k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$54,946
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
-$37k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$73,975
Natl Median: $76,549
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Median Debt
$23,455
Earnings (4yr)
$56,903
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$12k
Median Debt
$15,830
Earnings (4yr)
$72,528
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$112,244
Natl Median: $83,742
Lifetime Value Added
+$414k
Median Debt
$19,815
Earnings (4yr)
$53,589
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$39k
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$45,223
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$109k
Median Debt
$19,545
Earnings (4yr)
$66,591
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$65k
Median Debt
$18,529
Earnings (4yr)
$57,892
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
-$4k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,555
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$39k
Insurance
BachCIP: 5217
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$98,510
Natl Median: $88,472
Lifetime Value Added
+$309k
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (4yr)
$66,556
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$65k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$18,750
Earnings (4yr)
$66,881
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
+$68k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$17,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,866
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$28k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$16,055
Earnings (4yr)
$62,576
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$34k
Median Debt
$18,750
Earnings (4yr)
$59,924
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
+$13k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$16,478
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
-$355k
Median Debt
$20,646
Earnings (4yr)
$59,261
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$7k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$18,750
Earnings (4yr)
$48,234
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$84k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$18,950
Earnings (4yr)
$52,438
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$48k
Median Debt
$34,208
Earnings (4yr)
$58,535
Natl Median: $86,525
Lifetime Value Added
+$2k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$49,683
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
-$55k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$29,685
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$233k
Median Debt
$21,452
Earnings (5yr)
$48,194
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$21,948
Earnings (4yr)
$54,784
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$29k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$21,656
Earnings (4yr)
$46,106
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$102k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$37,668
Natl Median: $41,688
Lifetime Value Added
-$174k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$95,084
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$178k
Median Debt
$40,760
Earnings (4yr)
$72,529
Natl Median: $66,714
Lifetime Value Added
-$20k
Median Debt
$34,792
Earnings (4yr)
$63,052
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$104k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$66,115
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
-$76k
Statistics
MastCIP: 2705
Median Debt
$30,548
Earnings (4yr)
$117,242
Natl Median: $123,816
Lifetime Value Added
+$371k

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.