Back to Colleges
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA 23,694 Undergrads 81.5% Grad Rate
Total Cost
$33,389
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$23,691
After Aid
Median Earnings
$71,631
10yr Post-Entry
Vs. Peer Institutions
Net Price$23,691
Peer Midpoint: $19,729.5
Earnings (10yr)$71,631
Peer Midpoint: $53,747
Graduation Rate81.5%
Peer Midpoint: 58.5%
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients20.8%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time94.9%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS78.7%
Admissions Profile
Acceptance
57.8%
SAT Avg
1,393
SAT Reading
25th: 65066575th: 720
SAT Math
25th: 65069075th: 760
ACT Composite
25th: 293175th: 33
ROI Sensitivity Analysis
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
+$605k
+$209k
+$121k
Median Cost$24k/yr
+$520k
+$123k
+$35k
Full Cost$33k/yr
+$485k
+$88k
+$479
ROI Efficiency Metrics
Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
31
∞
Median Cost$24k/yr
47
41%
Full Cost$33k/yr
64
0%
Analysis Assumptions:
- Starting Salary: Estimated from the 10-year 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 Return96%
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-29%
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 with your specific estimates of cost and salary.
Program ROI Analysis
Certificates
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
CertCIP: 1312
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$70,337
Lifetime Value Added
+$264k
Associate's Degrees
Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services
AssocCIP: 0106
Median Debt
$11,000
Earnings (5yr)
$56,726
Lifetime Value Added
+$59k
Bachelor's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
BachCIP: 5203
Median Debt
$22,867
Earnings (5yr)
$99,495
Lifetime Value Added
+$255k
Agricultural Business and Management
BachCIP: 0101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$84,878
Lifetime Value Added
+$145k
Agricultural Production Operations
BachCIP: 0103
Median Debt
$19,979
Earnings (5yr)
$33,420
Lifetime Value Added
-$264k
Agriculture/Veterinary Preparatory Programs
BachCIP: 0113
Median Debt
$23,236
Earnings (5yr)
$89,862
Lifetime Value Added
+$182k
Animal Sciences
BachCIP: 0109
Median Debt
$26,724
Earnings (5yr)
$59,844
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$45,584
Lifetime Value Added
-$161k
Architecture
BachCIP: 0402
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Lifetime Value Added
-$241k
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
BachCIP: 2602
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$78,038
Lifetime Value Added
+$94k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$24,250
Earnings (5yr)
$68,103
Lifetime Value Added
+$19k
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection
BachCIP: 4604
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$83,878
Lifetime Value Added
+$138k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
BachCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$91,248
Lifetime Value Added
+$193k
Chemical Engineering
BachCIP: 1407
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$96,939
Lifetime Value Added
+$235k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$85,801
Lifetime Value Added
+$152k
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$26,961
Earnings (5yr)
$86,717
Lifetime Value Added
+$159k
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
BachCIP: 1612
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$46,895
Lifetime Value Added
-$150k
Communication and Media Studies
BachCIP: 0901
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$74,087
Lifetime Value Added
+$64k
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
BachCIP: 5102
Median Debt
$22,375
Earnings (5yr)
$59,695
Lifetime Value Added
-$46k
Computer and Information Sciences, General
BachCIP: 1101
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$100,600
Lifetime Value Added
+$263k
Computer Engineering
BachCIP: 1409
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$123,984
Lifetime Value Added
+$437k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$22,679
Earnings (5yr)
$132,046
Lifetime Value Added
+$496k
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
BachCIP: 5005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$41,063
Lifetime Value Added
-$199k
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
BachCIP: 1603
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$42,221
Lifetime Value Added
-$189k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (5yr)
$91,255
Lifetime Value Added
+$193k
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$65,277
Lifetime Value Added
-$2k
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering
BachCIP: 1410
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (5yr)
$99,215
Lifetime Value Added
+$252k
English Language and Literature, General
BachCIP: 2301
Median Debt
$21,750
Earnings (5yr)
$56,872
Lifetime Value Added
-$68k
Environmental Design
BachCIP: 0404
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (5yr)
$51,936
Lifetime Value Added
-$108k
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies
BachCIP: 0502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$63,903
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Finance and Financial Management Services
BachCIP: 5208
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$98,716
Lifetime Value Added
+$249k
Fine and Studio Arts
BachCIP: 5007
Median Debt
$22,375
Earnings (5yr)
$43,749
Lifetime Value Added
-$176k
Food Science and Technology
BachCIP: 0110
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$74,581
Lifetime Value Added
+$68k
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services
BachCIP: 1905
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$63,791
Lifetime Value Added
-$14k
Health and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (5yr)
$70,648
Lifetime Value Added
+$39k
High School/Secondary Diploma Programs
BachCIP: 5301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$82,002
Lifetime Value Added
+$124k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$21,250
Earnings (5yr)
$53,722
Lifetime Value Added
-$94k
Hospitality Administration/Management
BachCIP: 5209
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$62,949
Lifetime Value Added
-$20k
Industrial Engineering
BachCIP: 1435
Median Debt
$26,111
Earnings (2yr)
$69,338
Lifetime Value Added
+$61k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$58,874
Lifetime Value Added
-$52k
Landscape Architecture
BachCIP: 0406
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$48,745
Lifetime Value Added
-$110k
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
BachCIP: 2401
Median Debt
$22,597
Earnings (5yr)
$54,887
Lifetime Value Added
-$84k
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services
BachCIP: 1601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$47,529
Lifetime Value Added
-$145k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$21,796
Earnings (5yr)
$71,263
Lifetime Value Added
+$43k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (5yr)
$84,846
Lifetime Value Added
+$145k
Mechanical Engineering
BachCIP: 1419
Median Debt
$25,292
Earnings (5yr)
$94,995
Lifetime Value Added
+$221k
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
BachCIP: 2605
Median Debt
$23,750
Earnings (5yr)
$69,483
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
BachCIP: 3099
Median Debt
$22,496
Earnings (5yr)
$57,091
Lifetime Value Added
-$67k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$32,203
Lifetime Value Added
-$274k
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
BachCIP: 0301
Median Debt
$22,844
Earnings (5yr)
$57,260
Lifetime Value Added
-$65k
Non-Professional General Legal Studies (Undergraduate)
BachCIP: 2200
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$67,417
Lifetime Value Added
+$14k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$46,469
Lifetime Value Added
-$153k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$26,202
Earnings (2yr)
$28,598
Lifetime Value Added
-$290k
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences
BachCIP: 2609
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$76,709
Lifetime Value Added
+$84k
Political Science and Government
BachCIP: 4510
Median Debt
$20,369
Earnings (5yr)
$68,047
Lifetime Value Added
+$19k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$22,172
Earnings (5yr)
$62,236
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$21,746
Earnings (5yr)
$66,020
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
BachCIP: 5138
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (5yr)
$89,364
Lifetime Value Added
+$179k
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
BachCIP: 1609
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$70,508
Lifetime Value Added
+$37k
Social Sciences, Other
BachCIP: 4599
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$16,663
Lifetime Value Added
-$400k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$53,702
Lifetime Value Added
-$94k
Post-Baccalaureate Certificates
Special Education and Teaching
PB-CertCIP: 1310
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$67,212
Lifetime Value Added
+$192k
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods
PB-CertCIP: 1312
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$60,130
Lifetime Value Added
+$123k
Master's Degrees
Accounting and Related Services
MastCIP: 5203
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (5yr)
$115,325
Lifetime Value Added
+$527k
Business Administration, Management and Operations
MastCIP: 5202
Median Debt
$32,030
Earnings (5yr)
$150,611
Lifetime Value Added
+$827k
City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning
MastCIP: 0403
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$63,734
Lifetime Value Added
+$83k
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
MastCIP: 5102
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$74,751
Lifetime Value Added
+$179k
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$30,322
Earnings (2yr)
$100,518
Lifetime Value Added
+$453k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$61,714
Lifetime Value Added
+$65k
Fine and Studio Arts
MastCIP: 5007
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,937
Lifetime Value Added
-$96k
Microbiological Sciences and Immunology
MastCIP: 2605
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$49,323
Lifetime Value Added
-$21k
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$50,805
Lifetime Value Added
-$36k
Public Health
MastCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$30,775
Earnings (5yr)
$92,131
Lifetime Value Added
+$328k
Public Policy Analysis
MastCIP: 4405
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$48,432
Lifetime Value Added
-$30k
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
MastCIP: 2313
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$25,967
Lifetime Value Added
-$262k
Sustainability Studies
MastCIP: 3033
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$29,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$223k
Doctoral Degrees
Chemistry
DocCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$69,338
Lifetime Value Added
+$18k
Education, General
DocCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$87,776
Lifetime Value Added
+$122k
English Language and Literature, General
DocCIP: 2301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$47,260
Lifetime Value Added
-$161k
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
DocCIP: 5138
Median Debt
$57,030
Earnings (5yr)
$118,448
Lifetime Value Added
+$345k
Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, 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 degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results should not be compared with those Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors starting at age 18.