College ROI

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University of Nebraska at Kearney

Kearney, NE 4,088 Undergrads 55.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$25,808
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$16,242
After Aid
Median Earnings
$56,647
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$16,242
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$56,647
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$50,105
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate55.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age21.8
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients36.1%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time88.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS74.9%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
89.5%
SAT Avg
1,118
SAT Reading
25th: 49552475th: 575
SAT Math
25th: 41051275th: 550
ACT Composite
25th: 192275th: 26

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
+$509k
+$42k
+$24k
Median Cost$16k/yr
+$450k
-$17k
-$34k
Full Cost$26k/yr
+$416k
-$51k
-$69k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
45
∞
Median Cost$16k/yr
Never
-59%
Full Cost$26k/yr
Never
-74%
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-35%

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-60%
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,438
Natl Median: $66,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Median Debt
$24,989
Earnings (4yr)
$77,034
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$125k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$18,900
Earnings (4yr)
$67,151
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$49k
Median Debt
$18,199
Earnings (4yr)
$64,684
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$30k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,970
Earnings (4yr)
$53,348
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$61k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,988
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
Median Debt
$19,250
Earnings (4yr)
$55,356
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$45k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,756
Earnings (4yr)
$41,180
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$164k
Median Debt
$17,751
Earnings (4yr)
$49,584
Natl Median: $53,262
Lifetime Value Added
-$93k
Median Debt
$13,920
Earnings (4yr)
$49,521
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$93k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,911
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$47,590
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$109k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
$22,602
Earnings (4yr)
$51,659
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$75k
Median Debt
$13,250
Earnings (4yr)
$47,600
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$109k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$48,195
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$112k
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
$54,563
Natl Median: $50,983
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k
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
$21,300
Earnings (4yr)
$50,360
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$86k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,941
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
+$8k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$42,018
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$164k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,203
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$63k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$39,729
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$163k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$22,541
Earnings (4yr)
$52,669
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$67k
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$41,922
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$158k
Median Debt
$19,113
Earnings (4yr)
$44,687
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$134k

Master's Degrees

Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$32,000
Earnings (4yr)
$82,298
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
+$55k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$50,439
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$213k
Median Debt
$38,500
Earnings (4yr)
$60,698
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
-$136k
Median Debt
$16,150
Earnings (4yr)
$60,090
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$142k
Median Debt
$26,250
Earnings (4yr)
$69,061
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
-$61k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,237
Earnings (4yr)
$59,873
Natl Median: $49,079
Lifetime Value Added
-$144k
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$26,307
Earnings (4yr)
$62,153
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
-$123k
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,728
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$14,388
Earnings (4yr)
$58,307
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$158k
Median Debt
$35,182
Earnings (4yr)
$56,621
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$174k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$61,612
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$128k
Median Debt
$17,210
Earnings (4yr)
$64,020
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
-$106k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$61,810
Natl Median: $64,774
Lifetime Value Added
-$70k

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.