College ROI

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University of St Thomas

Houston, TX 3,220 Undergrads 63.8% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$45,672
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$19,359
After Aid
Median Earnings
$66,137
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$19,359
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$66,137
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$59,224
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate63.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age23.4
Warning: High average starting age indicates non-traditional students with prior work experience, which may inflate the median earnings shown.
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients41.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time86.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS75.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
89.9%
SAT Avg
1,090
SAT Reading
25th: 50056575th: 610
SAT Math
25th: 48056575th: 600
ACT Composite
25th: 182175th: 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)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$584k
+$117k
+$100k
Median Cost$19k/yr
+$514k
+$48k
+$30k
Full Cost$46k/yr
+$420k
-$47k
-$65k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
32
∞
Median Cost$19k/yr
48
43%
Full Cost$46k/yr
Never
-39%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ Warning: The high average starting age or low completion rate may inflate the Median earnings and ROI shown.
  • 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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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 Return19%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

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-55%
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
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$16,250
Earnings (4yr)
$72,586
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$80k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$17,250
Earnings (4yr)
$43,542
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$155k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,713
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,697
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$50,859
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$93k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
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
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$31,236
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,326
Earnings (4yr)
$61,219
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$9k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$78,424
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$124k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
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
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$17,241
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$18,743
Earnings (4yr)
$44,839
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$144k
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$87,401
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$193k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,535
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$103,828
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$238k
Median Debt
$50,257
Earnings (4yr)
$93,386
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$147k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$33,500
Earnings (4yr)
$69,235
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$65k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $110,694
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $97,121
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,943
Natl Median: $65,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$103k
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,024
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $93,020
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$68,219
Natl Median: $61,855
Lifetime Value Added
-$50k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,300
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,640
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$71,600
Earnings (4yr)
$107,589
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
+$81k
Philosophy
DocCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,449
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

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.