College ROI

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University of Richmond

University of Richmond, VA 2,980 Undergrads 86.1% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$80,961
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$31,309
After Aid
Median Earnings
$84,260
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$31,309
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$84,260
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$76,178
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate86.1%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.8
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients17.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time96.9%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS87.2%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
22.2%
SAT Avg
1,497
SAT Reading
25th: 700-75th: 750
SAT Math
25th: 710-75th: 780
ACT Composite
25th: 33-75th: 35

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
+$723k
+$256k
+$238k
Median Cost$31k/yr
+$610k
+$143k
+$126k
Full Cost$81k/yr
+$431k
-$35k
-$53k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
27
∞
Median Cost$31k/yr
36
112%
Full Cost$81k/yr
Never
-18%
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 Return57%

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-48%
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
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$112,202
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$339k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (5yr)
$70,722
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
+$12k
Median Debt
$23,346
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
-$269k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$19,597
Earnings (4yr)
$69,564
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$13k
Median Debt
$20,577
Earnings (4yr)
$103,856
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$275k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$20,375
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,477
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Cognitive Science
BachCIP: 3025
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,496
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,500
Earnings (4yr)
$112,621
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$342k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $85,063
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$22,750
Earnings (4yr)
$100,608
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$251k
Median Debt
$22,980
Earnings (4yr)
$58,014
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$77k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities
BachCIP: 5132
Median Debt
$15,500
Earnings (5yr)
$63,986
Natl Median: $87,441
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$92,389
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
+$188k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$43,426
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$184k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,266
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$90,369
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
+$172k
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
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
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
$68,339
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,584
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$25k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$81,253
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
+$103k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$71,914
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
+$21k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$65,809
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k

Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $125,864
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Legal Support Services
PB-CertCIP: 2203
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,073
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$22,000
Earnings (4yr)
$131,832
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$460k
Median Debt
$29,088
Earnings (4yr)
$59,094
Natl Median: $63,399
Lifetime Value Added
-$178k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$94,838
Natl Median: $83,558
Lifetime Value Added
+$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $101,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,716
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$67,763
Natl Median: $86,288
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k
History
Gr-CertCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,756
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $74,850
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Professional Degrees

Law
ProfCIP: 2201
Median Debt
$100,229
Earnings (4yr)
$101,062
Natl Median: $107,773
Lifetime Value Added
-$10k

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.