College ROI

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Business/Commerce, General.

Doctoral Degree21 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 ($107,902)
P25-P75 Interval ($103,078 - $162,463)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
Tallahassee
FL
$162,463
Nat: $149,621
2yr Post-Grad
$11,297
/yr
-
+$562k
Capella University
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Minneapolis
MN
$107,902
Nat: $149,621
4yr Post-Grad
$17,956
/yr
-
+$88k
University of Maryland Global Campus
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Adelphi
MD
$103,078
Nat: $149,621
2yr Post-Grad
$22,063
/yr
-
+$69k
Atlanta
GA
-
Nat: $149,621
$22,585
/yr
-
-$0
Chicago
IL
-
Nat: $149,621
$14,860
/yr
-
-$0
Bloomington
IN
-
Nat: $149,621
$16,264
/yr
-
-$0
Lawrence
KS
-
Nat: $149,621
$18,059
/yr
-
-$0
Lexington
KY
-
Nat: $149,621
$18,851
/yr
-
-$0
Louisiana State University-Shreveport
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Shreveport
LA
-
Nat: $149,621
$7,022
/yr
-
-$0
College Park
MD
-
Nat: $149,621
$15,678
/yr
-
-$0
Cambridge
MA
-
Nat: $149,621
$20,111
/yr
-
-$0
Columbia
MO
-
Nat: $149,621
$20,268
/yr
-
-$0
Omaha
NE
-
Nat: $149,621
$31,568
/yr
-
-$0
CUNY Graduate School and University Center
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
New York
NY
-
Nat: $149,621
-
/yr
-
-$0
New York
NY
-
Nat: $149,621
$30,892
/yr
-
-$0
Philadelphia
PA
-
Nat: $149,621
$38,509
/yr
-
-$0
Houston
TX
-
Nat: $149,621
$14,276
/yr
-
-$0
Denton
TX
-
Nat: $149,621
$15,649
/yr
-
-$0
Edinburg
TX
-
Nat: $149,621
$4,831
/yr
-
-$0
Richmond
VA
-
Nat: $149,621
$23,433
/yr
-
-$0
Madison
WI
-
Nat: $149,621
$17,354
/yr
-
-$0
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.