College ROI

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University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Eau Claire, WI 8,895 Undergrads 65.9% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$21,705
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$16,550
After Aid
Median Earnings
$60,838
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$16,550
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$60,838
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$58,561
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate65.9%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age20.4
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients19.8%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time93.6%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS83.2%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
82.3%
SAT Avg
1,220
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: 222475th: 27

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
+$542k
+$76k
+$58k
Median Cost$17k/yr
+$483k
+$16k
-$2k
Full Cost$22k/yr
+$464k
-$3k
-$20k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
37
∞
Median Cost$17k/yr
Never
-3%
Full Cost$22k/yr
Never
-26%
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 Return54%

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-32%
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

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$42,700
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
-$55k

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$22,437
Earnings (4yr)
$83,018
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$169k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Area Studies
BachCIP: 0501
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$31,848
Natl Median: $56,625
Lifetime Value Added
-$235k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$20,262
Earnings (4yr)
$59,937
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$9k
Median Debt
$20,550
Earnings (4yr)
$66,606
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$44k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$23,093
Earnings (4yr)
$66,246
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
+$41k
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (4yr)
$58,043
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$24k
Median Debt
$19,140
Earnings (4yr)
$57,862
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$25k
Median Debt
$20,494
Earnings (4yr)
$106,724
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$350k
Median Debt
$20,437
Earnings (4yr)
$58,762
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$18k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$21,875
Earnings (4yr)
$69,435
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$66k
Median Debt
$23,380
Earnings (4yr)
$46,075
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$123k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,926
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,290
Earnings (4yr)
$75,724
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$114k
Median Debt
$24,437
Earnings (4yr)
$42,995
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$150k
Median Debt
$21,001
Earnings (4yr)
$58,129
Natl Median: $57,853
Lifetime Value Added
-$23k
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
$56,739
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
-$35k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,459
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,850
Earnings (4yr)
$80,564
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
+$151k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$22,875
Earnings (4yr)
$42,806
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$151k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$70,219
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$72k
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,173
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
-$106k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$53,957
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Median Debt
$21,374
Earnings (4yr)
$90,193
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
+$224k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$70,891
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$77k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,449
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Materials Sciences
BachCIP: 4010
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $94,684
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$23,625
Earnings (4yr)
$83,027
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$169k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$25,557
Earnings (4yr)
$47,079
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$115k
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$87,033
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$200k
Median Debt
$19,780
Earnings (4yr)
$50,316
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$88k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$20,760
Earnings (4yr)
$58,458
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$21k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$63,016
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
+$16k
Median Debt
$18,593
Earnings (4yr)
$78,912
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$138k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,628
Earnings (4yr)
$54,074
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$56k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$52,461
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$70k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$21,190
Earnings (4yr)
$36,421
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$206k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,877
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$108k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$22,842
Earnings (4yr)
$53,907
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$58k
Median Debt
$23,550
Earnings (4yr)
$47,473
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$112k
Median Debt
$19,445
Earnings (4yr)
$48,458
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$103k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$31,909
Earnings (4yr)
$136,439
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$526k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$59,887
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
-$144k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $138,757
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$52,094
Earnings (4yr)
$129,249
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
+$251k

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,308
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.