College ROI

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Wheaton College

Wheaton, IL 2,121 Undergrads 87.8% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$59,263
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$26,975
After Aid
Median Earnings
$57,675
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$26,975
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$57,675
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$63,756
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate87.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age19.6
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients21.2%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.5%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS78.0%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
87.4%
SAT Avg
1,380
SAT Reading
25th: 65066075th: 740
SAT Math
25th: 61068075th: 730
ACT Composite
25th: 283075th: 32

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
+$517k
+$50k
+$33k
Median Cost$27k/yr
+$420k
-$47k
-$65k
Full Cost$59k/yr
+$304k
-$163k
-$181k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
42
∞
Median Cost$27k/yr
Never
-66%
Full Cost$59k/yr
Never
-85%
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 Return-65%

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-81%
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

Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$37,501
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$234k
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Archeology
BachCIP: 4503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $41,748
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,250
Earnings (5yr)
$42,261
Natl Median: $44,533
Lifetime Value Added
-$201k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (5yr)
$76,296
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$69k
Median Debt
$24,000
Earnings (4yr)
$80,258
Natl Median: $77,981
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,429
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$60,695
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$61,516
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
-$14k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,642
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (4yr)
$84,829
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$146k
Engineering, Other
BachCIP: 1499
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $93,989
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$21,101
Earnings (4yr)
$52,647
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$106k
Median Debt
$22,000
Earnings (4yr)
$38,363
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$227k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,459
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,356
Earnings (4yr)
$69,566
Natl Median: $61,296
Lifetime Value Added
+$29k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$65,230
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
-$4k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$49,683
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$114k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$24,556
Earnings (4yr)
$40,329
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$210k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
$23,685
Earnings (4yr)
$40,076
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
-$212k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$49,974
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$128k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Religious Education
BachCIP: 3904
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$42,605
Natl Median: $43,633
Lifetime Value Added
-$190k
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$42,635
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$190k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$48,374
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$142k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$32,925
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$263k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Archeology
MastCIP: 4503
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,995
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$40,125
Earnings (4yr)
$61,371
Natl Median: $65,184
Lifetime Value Added
-$149k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,289
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$45,181
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$312k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,204
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Religious Education
MastCIP: 3904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$30,771
Natl Median: $54,328
Lifetime Value Added
-$434k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,767
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$66,104
Natl Median: $61,300
Lifetime Value Added
-$107k

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$129,614
Earnings (4yr)
$89,362
Natl Median: $99,878
Lifetime Value Added
-$82k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,982
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.