College ROI

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University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

Tacoma, WA 4,185 Undergrads 73.2% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$25,346
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$10,163
After Aid
Median Earnings
$82,515
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$10,163
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 Rate73.2%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients40.2%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time89.6%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS82.7%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
82.5%
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$10k/yr
+$673k
+$206k
+$189k
Full Cost$25k/yr
+$618k
+$151k
+$134k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
27
∞
Median Cost$10k/yr
30
515%
Full Cost$25k/yr
35
147%
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 Return373%

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 Return57%
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
+$233k
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
$14,845
Earnings (4yr)
$56,926
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
-$10k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$13,809
Earnings (4yr)
$59,443
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$10k
Median Debt
$13,654
Earnings (4yr)
$78,771
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$160k
Civil Engineering
BachCIP: 1408
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$92,010
Natl Median: $86,517
Lifetime Value Added
+$261k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$64,153
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$48k
Median Debt
$15,127
Earnings (4yr)
$114,798
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$434k
Median Debt
$15,422
Earnings (4yr)
$169,570
Natl Median: $109,015
Lifetime Value Added
+$846k
Median Debt
$11,628
Earnings (4yr)
$63,311
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
+$41k
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$14,488
Earnings (4yr)
$87,239
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$225k
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$14,159
Earnings (4yr)
$65,217
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$56k
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (4yr)
$116,010
Natl Median: $100,647
Lifetime Value Added
+$444k
Median Debt
$12,551
Earnings (4yr)
$57,534
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
-$5k
Median Debt
$13,856
Earnings (4yr)
$97,452
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$303k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$61,059
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
+$23k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
$17,256
Earnings (4yr)
$49,475
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
-$72k
Median Debt
$15,071
Earnings (4yr)
$46,844
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$94k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$88,114
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$231k
Median Debt
$14,448
Earnings (4yr)
$102,078
Natl Median: $92,135
Lifetime Value Added
+$338k
Median Debt
$14,691
Earnings (4yr)
$48,753
Natl Median: $50,532
Lifetime Value Added
-$78k
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
+$468
Non-Professional Legal Studies
BachCIP: 2200
Median Debt
$14,512
Earnings (4yr)
$71,042
Natl Median: $61,959
Lifetime Value Added
+$101k
Median Debt
$13,290
Earnings (4yr)
$72,487
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$112k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$14,342
Earnings (4yr)
$54,016
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$34k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$15,500
Earnings (4yr)
$63,666
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$44k
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$98,632
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$312k
Median Debt
$14,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,124
Natl Median: $48,471
Lifetime Value Added
-$92k
Median Debt
$14,019
Earnings (4yr)
$58,705
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
+$4k
Median Debt
$11,734
Earnings (4yr)
$56,628
Natl Median: $56,812
Lifetime Value Added
-$13k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$13,400
Earnings (4yr)
$59,256
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
+$9k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$15,757
Earnings (4yr)
$63,174
Natl Median: $62,532
Lifetime Value Added
+$40k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$58,052
Earnings (4yr)
$194,296
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$1038k
Median Debt
$40,998
Earnings (4yr)
$85,467
Natl Median: $79,665
Lifetime Value Added
+$94k
Median Debt
$36,600
Earnings (4yr)
$170,194
Natl Median: $124,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$830k
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
+$509k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$23,108
Earnings (4yr)
$84,551
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
+$86k
Median Debt
$35,140
Earnings (4yr)
$87,362
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Median Debt
$33,037
Earnings (4yr)
$90,418
Natl Median: $79,784
Lifetime Value Added
+$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $124,807
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $67,520
Lifetime Value Added
-$369k
Median Debt
$33,752
Earnings (4yr)
$137,533
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$548k
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$51,250
Earnings (4yr)
$77,163
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
+$21k
Median Debt
$30,990
Earnings (4yr)
$80,738
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
+$53k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $154,538
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
DocCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$120,269
Natl Median: $87,373
Lifetime Value Added
+$190k

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.