College ROI

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Valdosta State University

Valdosta, GA 6,622 Undergrads 46.4% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$20,801
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$10,945
After Aid
Median Earnings
$56,067
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$10,945
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$56,067
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$49,361
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate46.4%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Warning: The majority of students at this institution do not graduate. Non-completers typically earn significantly less and face higher debt risks.
Average Starting Age22.3
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients54.0%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time79.1%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS65.6%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
72.3%
SAT Avg
1,013
SAT Reading
25th: 48053575th: 570
SAT Math
25th: 44050575th: 530
ACT Composite
25th: 162075th: 22

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
+$504k
+$37k
+$19k
Median Cost$11k/yr
+$464k
-$2k
-$20k
Full Cost$21k/yr
+$429k
-$38k
-$55k

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
47
∞
Median Cost$11k/yr
Never
-51%
Full Cost$21k/yr
Never
-74%
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 Return-31%

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-53%
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.

Associate's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$50,055
Natl Median: $61,982
Lifetime Value Added
+$19k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$21,396
Earnings (4yr)
$60,751
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$18k
Median Debt
$25,170
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$39,516
Natl Median: $45,044
Lifetime Value Added
-$159k
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$25,441
Earnings (4yr)
$51,991
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$54k
Median Debt
$24,358
Earnings (4yr)
$56,047
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
-$20k
Median Debt
$34,937
Earnings (4yr)
$60,715
Natl Median: $28,311
Lifetime Value Added
+$18k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$35,420
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
-$182k
Median Debt
$26,383
Earnings (4yr)
$47,880
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$88k
Median Debt
$22,053
Earnings (4yr)
$55,426
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
-$25k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$75,310
Natl Median: $92,374
Lifetime Value Added
+$131k
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$46,593
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
Dance
BachCIP: 5003
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$17,624
Natl Median: $39,980
Lifetime Value Added
-$345k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$29,320
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
-$253k
Median Debt
$27,536
Earnings (4yr)
$41,622
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$141k
Median Debt
$23,312
Earnings (4yr)
$68,453
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$78k
Median Debt
$26,750
Earnings (4yr)
$31,539
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$229k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$30,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,281
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
-$43k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,595
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$90k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $80,890
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$71,257
Natl Median: $85,294
Lifetime Value Added
+$100k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$63,072
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$36k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $53,266
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$28,788
Earnings (4yr)
$40,044
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$155k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$24,080
Earnings (4yr)
$59,865
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$11k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$27,357
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$265k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $47,213
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$47,035
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$95k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$23,719
Earnings (4yr)
$47,285
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$93k
Median Debt
$21,396
Earnings (4yr)
$77,890
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$150k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$29,974
Earnings (4yr)
$41,619
Natl Median: $46,959
Lifetime Value Added
-$141k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$51,162
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$25,043
Earnings (4yr)
$58,630
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$906
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$46,155
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$103k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$51,863
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$55k

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$86,927
Natl Median: $95,833
Lifetime Value Added
+$106k
Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,590
Earnings (4yr)
$84,918
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$88k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,953
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$35,096
Earnings (4yr)
$56,636
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
-$164k
Median Debt
$28,998
Earnings (4yr)
$81,195
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
+$55k
Median Debt
$27,924
Earnings (4yr)
$71,246
Natl Median: $70,644
Lifetime Value Added
-$32k
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
$31,554
Earnings (4yr)
$53,915
Natl Median: $56,301
Lifetime Value Added
-$190k
Median Debt
$42,700
Earnings (4yr)
$50,995
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$217k
Music
MastCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,285
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,472
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
-$83k
Median Debt
$32,434
Earnings (4yr)
$68,427
Natl Median: $81,408
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$48,021
Earnings (4yr)
$63,609
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Sociology
MastCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,330
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$29,482
Earnings (4yr)
$63,814
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$98k
Median Debt
$32,488
Earnings (4yr)
$71,449
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$30k
Median Debt
$23,655
Earnings (4yr)
$62,044
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Median Debt
$20,324
Earnings (4yr)
$76,119
Natl Median: $63,707
Lifetime Value Added
+$11k

Graduate Certificates

Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$84,270
Natl Median: $92,532
Lifetime Value Added
+$147k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$77,263
Natl Median: $75,166
Lifetime Value Added
+$81k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$72,856
Natl Median: $59,417
Lifetime Value Added
+$40k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $83,031
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,573
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $99,464
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

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.