College ROI

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University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, WA 1,594 Undergrads 74.9% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$78,378
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$38,394
After Aid
Median Earnings
$59,684
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$38,394
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$59,684
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$69,594
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate74.9%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.4
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients17.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.8%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS72.1%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
72.3%
SAT Avg
1,296
SAT Reading
25th: 61064075th: 710
SAT Math
25th: 56062075th: 670
ACT Composite
25th: 272975th: 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
+$533k
+$66k
+$49k
Median Cost$38k/yr
+$395k
-$72k
-$89k
Full Cost$78k/yr
+$251k
-$216k
-$233k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
38
∞
Median Cost$38k/yr
Never
-65%
Full Cost$78k/yr
Never
-83%
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-63%

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-83%
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

Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$57,407
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
-$108k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$38,289
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
-$255k
Median Debt
$26,629
Earnings (4yr)
$55,690
Natl Median: $58,891
Lifetime Value Added
-$122k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$24,309
Earnings (4yr)
$52,645
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$147k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$77,585
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$49k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$37,568
Natl Median: $66,697
Lifetime Value Added
-$262k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,904
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$72k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$98,696
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$210k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$46,791
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$196k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,792
Natl Median: $51,642
Lifetime Value Added
-$137k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$25,500
Earnings (4yr)
$81,082
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$76k
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$57,205
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$109k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$50,690
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$163k
Median Debt
$21,215
Earnings (4yr)
$37,553
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
-$275k
Median Debt
$26,022
Earnings (4yr)
$43,032
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$228k
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
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities
BachCIP: 5132
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $87,441
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$20,000
Earnings (4yr)
$60,458
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$83k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,798
Earnings (4yr)
$47,734
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
-$188k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$22,000
Earnings (4yr)
$75,462
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$33k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,986
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$41,207
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$244k
Median Debt
$24,623
Earnings (4yr)
$46,112
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$202k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,451
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$28,598
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
-$343k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,801
Earnings (4yr)
$52,278
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$150k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,919
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$72k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$47,387
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
-$199k
Median Debt
$26,998
Earnings (4yr)
$38,871
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
-$264k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$56,052
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$119k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,452
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$48,940
Natl Median: $46,959
Lifetime Value Added
-$178k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$21,646
Earnings (4yr)
$52,234
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$150k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$39,792
Earnings (4yr)
$77,402
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$28k
Median Debt
$91,387
Earnings (4yr)
$79,192
Natl Median: $71,416
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$68,035
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$111k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,852
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$119,487
Earnings (4yr)
$85,925
Natl Median: $82,893
Lifetime Value Added
-$148k

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.