College ROI

Smarter Choices, Brighter Futures
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University of Mount Union

Alliance, OH 1,995 Undergrads 63.3% Grad Rate
Share
Total Cost
$49,276
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$23,280
After Aid
Median Earnings
$57,955
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$23,280
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$57,955
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$53,217
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate63.3%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.6
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients29.5%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time99.2%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS79.9%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
78.2%
SAT Avg
1,088
SAT Reading
25th: 46052575th: 620
SAT Math
25th: 45055575th: 620
ACT Composite
25th: 182275th: 25

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
+$519k
+$52k
+$35k
Median Cost$23k/yr
+$435k
-$31k
-$49k
Full Cost$49k/yr
+$342k
-$125k
-$143k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
41
Median Cost$23k/yr
Never
-58%
Full Cost$49k/yr
Never
-80%
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-55%

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-76%
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
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$80,429
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$125k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$43,360
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
-$178k
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
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,213
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$23k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$68,305
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$33k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,549
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,439
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,894
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,063
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$55,751
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$67k
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$80,777
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$128k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$16,169
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$403k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$76,675
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
+$97k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$26,430
Earnings (4yr)
$66,830
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$21k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$80,963
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$129k
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: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$51,316
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$104k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$36,042
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
-$221k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,497
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$85,186
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$162k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,378
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$78k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$44,261
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$170k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$60,728
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$27k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$44,001
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$165k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,215
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$109,531
Earnings (4yr)
$129,646
Natl Median: $127,347
Lifetime Value Added
+$455k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$56,266
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$190k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$120,926
Earnings (4yr)
$82,311
Natl Median: $82,893
Lifetime Value Added
-$121k

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.