College ROI

Smarter Choices, Brighter Futures
Back to Area Ethnic And Civilization Studies

Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies.

Doctoral Degree39 Institutions

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.

Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings

Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.

Field Median ($58,673)
P25-P75 Interval ($53,358 - $74,436)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
University of Alaska Fairbanks
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Fairbanks
AK
-
Nat: $81,271
$10,892
/yr
-
-$0
Tempe
AZ
-
Nat: $81,271
$14,967
/yr
-
-$0
Berkeley
CA
-
Nat: $81,271
$13,481
/yr
-
-$0
Los Angeles
CA
-
Nat: $81,271
$12,548
/yr
-
-$0
Riverside
CA
-
Nat: $81,271
$14,304
/yr
-
-$0
La Jolla
CA
-
Nat: $81,271
$12,470
/yr
-
-$0
Santa Barbara
CA
-
Nat: $81,271
$16,109
/yr
-
-$0
Santa Cruz
CA
-
Nat: $81,271
$17,890
/yr
-
-$0
Claremont
CA
-
Nat: $81,271
-
/yr
-
-$0
Boulder
CO
-
Nat: $81,271
$25,346
/yr
-
-$0
New Haven
CT
-
Nat: $81,271
$23,777
/yr
-
-$0
Atlanta
GA
-
Nat: $81,271
$22,585
/yr
-
-$0
Chicago
IL
-
Nat: $81,271
$10,974
/yr
-
-$0
National Louis University
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Chicago
IL
-
Nat: $81,271
$12,641
/yr
-
-$0
Evanston
IL
-
Nat: $81,271
$29,167
/yr
-
-$0
Bloomington
IN
-
Nat: $81,271
$16,264
/yr
-
-$0
Lexington
KY
-
Nat: $81,271
$18,851
/yr
-
-$0
College Park
MD
-
Nat: $81,271
$15,678
/yr
-
-$0
Cambridge
MA
-
Nat: $81,271
$19,066
/yr
-
-$0
Amherst
MA
-
Nat: $81,271
$22,383
/yr
-
-$0
East Lansing
MI
-
Nat: $81,271
$19,680
/yr
-
-$0
Minneapolis
MN
-
Nat: $81,271
$16,778
/yr
-
-$0
New Brunswick
NJ
-
Nat: $81,271
$24,406
/yr
-
-$0
Ithaca
NY
-
Nat: $81,271
$28,690
/yr
-
-$0
Buffalo
NY
-
Nat: $81,271
$20,995
/yr
-
-$0
Columbus
OH
-
Nat: $81,271
$17,339
/yr
-
-$0
Eugene
OR
-
Nat: $81,271
$22,182
/yr
-
-$0
University Park
PA
-
Nat: $81,271
$32,875
/yr
-
-$0
Philadelphia
PA
-
Nat: $81,271
$28,699
/yr
-
-$0
Philadelphia
PA
-
Nat: $81,271
$28,198
/yr
-
-$0
Providence
RI
-
Nat: $81,271
$25,184
/yr
-
-$0
College Station
TX
-
Nat: $81,271
$21,315
/yr
-
-$0
Austin
TX
-
Nat: $81,271
$19,857
/yr
-
-$0
Denton
TX
-
Nat: $81,271
$11,963
/yr
-
-$0
Seattle
WA
-
Nat: $81,271
$14,091
/yr
-
-$0
San Juan
PR
-
Nat: $81,271
$9,175
/yr
-
-$0
Chester
PA
$74,436
Nat: $81,271
4yr Post-Grad
$25,759
/yr
-
-$188k
Tucson
AZ
$58,673
Nat: $81,271
2yr Post-Grad
$16,674
/yr
-
-$257k
Davis
CA
$53,358
Nat: $81,271
2yr Post-Grad
$14,741
/yr
-
-$294k
Analysis Notes:
  • Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median bachelor's degree holder, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
  • Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).Note: For graduate programs, the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition and net price.
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.