College ROI

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Whitworth University

Spokane, WA 1,858 Undergrads 71.4% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$68,516
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$26,534
After Aid
Median Earnings
$61,291
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$26,534
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$61,291
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$58,561
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate71.4%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age22.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients28.9%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time98.5%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS78.7%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
89.8%
SAT Avg
1,220
SAT Reading
25th: 55059075th: 670
SAT Math
25th: 54058575th: 660
ACT Composite
25th: 212575th: 29

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
+$546k
+$79k
+$62k
Median Cost$27k/yr
+$451k
-$16k
-$34k
Full Cost$69k/yr
+$299k
-$167k
-$185k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
36
∞
Median Cost$27k/yr
Never
-35%
Full Cost$69k/yr
Never
-75%
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-49%

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-78%
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
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$71,562
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$46k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$65,600
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$113
Applied Mathematics
BachCIP: 2703
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $91,532
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$55,534
Natl Median: $58,891
Lifetime Value Added
-$80k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$20,735
Earnings (5yr)
$48,266
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$149k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $86,713
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$75,038
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$72k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
-$251k
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$56,304
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$74k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,384
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$87,897
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$171k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,490
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
BachCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $49,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$24,642
Earnings (4yr)
$47,699
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$146k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$26,121
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$323k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Journalism
BachCIP: 0904
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,278
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$31,771
Earnings (4yr)
$55,846
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
-$78k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$26,610
Earnings (4yr)
$59,781
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
-$46k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$73,097
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$58k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (5yr)
$29,144
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
-$311k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $63,114
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Philosophy
BachCIP: 3801
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $54,455
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$99,842
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$262k
Median Debt
$21,000
Earnings (5yr)
$72,166
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
+$40k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$24,312
Earnings (4yr)
$51,288
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$116k
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$14,418
Earnings (4yr)
$82,980
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$133k
Median Debt
$23,875
Earnings (4yr)
$48,483
Natl Median: $41,390
Lifetime Value Added
-$139k
Median Debt
$24,500
Earnings (4yr)
$56,795
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$70k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$26,000
Earnings (4yr)
$57,755
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$62k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$22,798
Earnings (4yr)
$48,006
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
-$143k
Median Debt
$26,799
Earnings (4yr)
$60,010
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$44k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$83,191
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$44k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$40,645
Earnings (4yr)
$78,357
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
+$2k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$60,101
Earnings (4yr)
$55,635
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
-$202k
Median Debt
$38,603
Earnings (4yr)
$64,904
Natl Median: $64,397
Lifetime Value Added
-$117k
Median Debt
$59,404
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$67,773
Natl Median: $59,916
Lifetime Value Added
-$91k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,300
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $90,560
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.