College ROI

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Winona State University

Winona, MN 5,144 Undergrads 65.1% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$23,683
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$17,503
After Aid
Median Earnings
$60,533
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$17,503
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$60,533
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$58,532
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate65.1%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age21.5
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients24.6%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time86.6%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS84.0%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
75.5%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: -55075th: -
SAT Math
25th: -57575th: -
ACT Composite
25th: -2275th: -

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
+$540k
+$73k
+$56k
Median Cost$18k/yr
+$477k
+$10k
-$7k
Full Cost$24k/yr
+$455k
-$12k
-$30k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
37
∞
Median Cost$18k/yr
Never
-12%
Full Cost$24k/yr
Never
-35%
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 Return36%

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-39%
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
$12,000
Earnings (4yr)
$50,823
Natl Median: $44,125
Lifetime Value Added
+$24k

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$19,751
Earnings (4yr)
$72,768
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$88k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$51,910
Natl Median: $70,786
Lifetime Value Added
-$78k
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
BachCIP: 5010
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,240
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$21,500
Earnings (4yr)
$57,528
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
-$32k
Median Debt
$21,417
Earnings (4yr)
$61,878
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$3k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
$23,250
Earnings (4yr)
$64,760
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
+$26k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$73,400
Natl Median: $75,975
Lifetime Value Added
+$92k
Median Debt
$24,908
Earnings (4yr)
$53,456
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
-$65k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $104,864
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$19,874
Earnings (4yr)
$88,164
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$205k
Median Debt
$23,225
Earnings (4yr)
$62,220
Natl Median: $55,378
Lifetime Value Added
+$6k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $39,775
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$38,289
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
-$180k
Median Debt
$19,575
Earnings (4yr)
$47,876
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$112k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $43,765
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$20,410
Earnings (4yr)
$75,807
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,258
Natl Median: $41,367
Lifetime Value Added
-$108k
Median Debt
$26,500
Earnings (5yr)
$66,073
Natl Median: $60,190
Lifetime Value Added
+$26k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$72,716
Natl Median: $58,716
Lifetime Value Added
+$87k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$48,625
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$113k
Median Debt
$20,500
Earnings (4yr)
$65,501
Natl Median: $68,069
Lifetime Value Added
+$32k
International/Globalization Studies
BachCIP: 3020
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,972
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,808
Natl Median: $62,654
Lifetime Value Added
-$104k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$33,993
Natl Median: $51,718
Lifetime Value Added
-$219k
Median Debt
$24,200
Earnings (4yr)
$76,708
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
+$118k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$24,269
Earnings (4yr)
$70,203
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$68k
Median Debt
$22,000
Earnings (4yr)
$91,528
Natl Median: $91,449
Lifetime Value Added
+$231k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,500
Earnings (4yr)
$55,235
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
-$50k
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Non-Professional Legal Studies
BachCIP: 2200
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $61,959
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$19,891
Earnings (4yr)
$54,381
Natl Median: $50,983
Lifetime Value Added
-$57k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$23,438
Earnings (4yr)
$55,027
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$52k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$22,315
Earnings (4yr)
$49,361
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$99k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,093
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Public Health
BachCIP: 5122
Median Debt
$19,767
Earnings (4yr)
$47,291
Natl Median: $58,808
Lifetime Value Added
-$117k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$41,937
Natl Median: $63,560
Lifetime Value Added
-$148k
Median Debt
$21,787
Earnings (4yr)
$80,117
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$144k
Median Debt
$19,750
Earnings (4yr)
$55,113
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$51k
Social Work
BachCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$20,225
Earnings (4yr)
$54,056
Natl Median: $51,790
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$21,687
Earnings (4yr)
$49,166
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$101k
Median Debt
$27,000
Earnings (4yr)
$49,824
Natl Median: $50,499
Lifetime Value Added
-$95k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$25,000
Earnings (4yr)
$63,303
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$15k
Statistics
BachCIP: 2705
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $92,425
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$22,000
Earnings (4yr)
$46,863
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$120k
Median Debt
$25,600
Earnings (4yr)
$48,767
Natl Median: $51,389
Lifetime Value Added
-$104k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,259
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Master's Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$48,129
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
-$257k
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$56,901
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
-$173k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities
MastCIP: 5132
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $100,487
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $57,050
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $59,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$134,654
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$509k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$53,481
Natl Median: $60,111
Lifetime Value Added
-$206k

Graduate Certificates

Education, General
Gr-CertCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,448
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,655
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $126,911
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
Gr-CertCIP: 3105
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $56,916
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Doctoral Degrees

Median Debt
$44,750
Earnings (4yr)
$123,651
Natl Median: $138,131
Lifetime Value Added
+$206k

Professional Degrees

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $78,026
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Other Programs

Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $81,700
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,259
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.