College ROI

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University of Washington-Bothell Campus

Bothell, WA 5,457 Undergrads 80.1% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$26,908
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$12,319
After Aid
Median Earnings
$82,515
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$12,319
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$82,515
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$78,466
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate80.1%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients28.7%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time86.7%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS82.7%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
90.6%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

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
+$709k
+$243k
+$225k
Median Cost$12k/yr
+$665k
+$198k
+$181k
Full Cost$27k/yr
+$613k
+$146k
+$128k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
27
∞
Median Cost$12k/yr
31
408%
Full Cost$27k/yr
36
132%
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 Return345%

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 Return48%
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
$14,828
Earnings (4yr)
$88,393
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$226k
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
$14,845
Earnings (4yr)
$56,926
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
-$18k
Median Debt
$14,014
Earnings (4yr)
$58,818
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
-$3k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$13,809
Earnings (4yr)
$59,443
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$3k
Median Debt
$13,654
Earnings (4yr)
$78,771
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$152k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$15,081
Earnings (4yr)
$64,676
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
+$44k
Median Debt
$11,557
Earnings (4yr)
$52,771
Natl Median: $50,523
Lifetime Value Added
-$52k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,153
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$40k
Median Debt
$15,127
Earnings (4yr)
$114,798
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$427k
Median Debt
$15,422
Earnings (4yr)
$169,570
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$839k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$15,351
Earnings (4yr)
$175,616
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$884k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$71,462
Natl Median: $58,894
Lifetime Value Added
+$96k
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$14,159
Earnings (4yr)
$65,217
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$48k
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (4yr)
$116,010
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$436k
Median Debt
$12,551
Earnings (4yr)
$57,534
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Median Debt
$13,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,805
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$43k
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (4yr)
$66,845
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
+$61k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
$17,256
Earnings (4yr)
$49,475
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
-$80k
Median Debt
$15,071
Earnings (4yr)
$46,844
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$102k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$95,193
Natl Median: $86,176
Lifetime Value Added
+$278k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$88,114
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$224k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$100,127
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$315k
Median Debt
$14,448
Earnings (4yr)
$102,078
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$330k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$15,932
Earnings (4yr)
$58,229
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$7k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
$13,500
Earnings (4yr)
$61,595
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
+$20k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$15,415
Earnings (4yr)
$75,867
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$130k
Median Debt
$13,290
Earnings (4yr)
$72,487
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$104k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$14,342
Earnings (4yr)
$54,016
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$42k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$15,500
Earnings (4yr)
$63,666
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$36k
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$98,632
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$304k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $67,452
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,629
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$102,727
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$241k
Median Debt
$58,052
Earnings (4yr)
$194,296
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$1034k
Median Debt
$36,600
Earnings (4yr)
$170,194
Natl Median: $124,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$826k
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$40,174
Earnings (4yr)
$133,081
Natl Median: $121,855
Lifetime Value Added
+$505k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,937
Natl Median: $61,087
Lifetime Value Added
-$291k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$23,108
Earnings (4yr)
$84,551
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
+$82k
Median Debt
$35,140
Earnings (4yr)
$87,362
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$107k
Median Debt
$47,521
Earnings (4yr)
$146,735
Natl Median: $133,654
Lifetime Value Added
+$623k
Public Health
MastCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$50,130
Earnings (4yr)
$92,611
Natl Median: $82,751
Lifetime Value Added
+$153k
Median Debt
$22,821
Earnings (4yr)
$84,234
Natl Median: $93,020
Lifetime Value Added
+$80k
Median Debt
$33,752
Earnings (4yr)
$137,533
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$544k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,576
Natl Median: $55,035
Lifetime Value Added
-$243k

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.