College ROI

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Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies.

Undergrad Certificate45 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 ($46,614)
P25-P75 Interval ($44,564 - $63,139)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
Pittsburgh
PA
$63,139
Nat: $55,975
4yr Post-Grad
$30,434
/yr
$26,697
+$200k
Iowa City
IA
$46,614
Nat: $55,975
4yr Post-Grad
$22,531
/yr
$23,750
+$35k
Delta College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
University Center
MI
$44,564
Nat: $55,975
4yr Post-Grad
$4,547
/yr
-
+$30k
Tempe
AZ
-
Nat: $55,975
$14,967
/yr
-
-$0
Rio Salado College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Tempe
AZ
-
Nat: $55,975
$8,341
/yr
-
-$0
Yavapai College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Prescott
AZ
-
Nat: $55,975
$8,683
/yr
-
-$0
Cerritos College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Norwalk
CA
-
Nat: $55,975
$2,424
/yr
-
-$0
San Diego
CA
-
Nat: $55,975
$15,364
/yr
-
-$0
Boca Raton
FL
-
Nat: $55,975
$8,752
/yr
-
-$0
West Georgia Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Waco
GA
-
Nat: $55,975
$2,457
/yr
-
-$0
Georgia Northwestern Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Rome
GA
-
Nat: $55,975
$5,720
/yr
-
-$0
Athens
GA
-
Nat: $55,975
$13,936
/yr
-
-$0
Gwinnett Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Lawrenceville
GA
-
Nat: $55,975
$6,696
/yr
-
-$0
Lanier Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Gainesville
GA
-
Nat: $55,975
$7,799
/yr
-
-$0
North Georgia Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Clarkesville
GA
-
Nat: $55,975
$4,005
/yr
-
-$0
Boise
ID
-
Nat: $55,975
$21,610
/yr
-
-$0
College of DuPage
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Glen Ellyn
IL
-
Nat: $55,975
$7,401
/yr
-
-$0
College of Lake County
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Grayslake
IL
-
Nat: $55,975
$7,607
/yr
-
-$0
Indiana University-East
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Richmond
IN
-
Nat: $55,975
$8,134
/yr
-
-$0
University of Southern Maine
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Portland
ME
-
Nat: $55,975
$13,596
/yr
-
-$0
Big Rapids
MI
-
Nat: $55,975
$8,624
/yr
-
-$0
Dearborn
MI
-
Nat: $55,975
$9,492
/yr
-
-$0
Washtenaw Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Ann Arbor
MI
-
Nat: $55,975
$3,249
/yr
-
-$0
Inver Hills Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Inver Grove Heights
MN
-
Nat: $55,975
$11,636
/yr
-
-$0
Moorhead
MN
-
Nat: $55,975
$17,997
/yr
-
-$0
Century College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
White Bear Lake
MN
-
Nat: $55,975
$10,906
/yr
-
-$0
University of Mount Olive
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Mount Olive
NC
-
Nat: $55,975
$18,853
/yr
-
-$0
Grand Forks
ND
-
Nat: $55,975
$18,551
/yr
-
-$0
Cincinnati
OH
-
Nat: $55,975
$25,648
/yr
-
-$0
University of Cincinnati-Clermont College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Batavia
OH
-
Nat: $55,975
$13,803
/yr
-
-$0
Ohio Christian University
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Circleville
OH
-
Nat: $55,975
$20,607
/yr
-
-$0
Sinclair Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Dayton
OH
-
Nat: $55,975
$5,992
/yr
-
-$0
Wright State University-Main Campus
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Dayton
OH
-
Nat: $55,975
$15,415
/yr
-
-$0
Slippery Rock
PA
-
Nat: $55,975
$19,608
/yr
-
-$0
Philadelphia
PA
-
Nat: $55,975
$28,198
/yr
-
-$0
Austin Community College District
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Austin
TX
-
Nat: $55,975
$6,390
/yr
-
-$0
Cedar City
UT
-
Nat: $55,975
$10,462
/yr
-
-$0
Salt Lake Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Salt Lake City
UT
-
Nat: $55,975
$9,804
/yr
-
-$0
Weber State University
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Ogden
UT
-
Nat: $55,975
$10,258
/yr
-
-$0
Northern Virginia Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Annandale
VA
-
Nat: $55,975
$9,919
/yr
-
-$0
Nicolet Area Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Rhinelander
WI
-
Nat: $55,975
$8,255
/yr
-
-$0
Georgia Piedmont Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Clarkston
GA
-
Nat: $55,975
$13,761
/yr
-
-$0
Miami Ad School
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Miami
FL
-
Nat: $55,975
$64,951
/yr
-
-$0
Columbia College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Vienna
VA
-
Nat: $55,975
$10,171
/yr
-
-$0
Chattahoochee Technical College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Marietta
GA
$25,194
Nat: $55,975
2yr Post-Grad
$3,407
/yr
-
-$172k
Analysis Notes:
  • Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, 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).
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.