College ROI

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Undergrad Certificate20 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 ($63,138)
P25-P75 Interval ($63,138 - $63,138)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
Pennsylvania State University-World Campus
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
University Park
PA
$63,138
Nat: $55,137
4yr Post-Grad
$19,550
/yr
$20,500
+$210k
University Park
PA
$63,138
Nat: $55,137
4yr Post-Grad
$32,875
/yr
$20,500
+$198k
Glendale Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Glendale
AZ
-
Nat: $55,137
$11,650
/yr
-
-$0
Cabrillo College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Aptos
CA
-
Nat: $55,137
$15,843
/yr
-
-$0
Contra Costa College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
San Pablo
CA
-
Nat: $55,137
$9,490
/yr
-
-$0
East Los Angeles College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Monterey Park
CA
-
Nat: $55,137
$10,852
/yr
-
-$0
Fullerton College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Fullerton
CA
-
Nat: $55,137
$6,134
/yr
-
-$0
Santa Ana College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Santa Ana
CA
-
Nat: $55,137
$3,133
/yr
-
-$0
Community College of Denver
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Denver
CO
-
Nat: $55,137
$9,450
/yr
-
-$0
Hillsborough Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Tampa
FL
-
Nat: $55,137
$3,861
/yr
-
-$0
Muncie
IN
-
Nat: $55,137
$14,940
/yr
-
-$0
Indianapolis
IN
-
Nat: $55,137
$11,668
/yr
-
-$0
Iowa City
IA
-
Nat: $55,137
$22,531
/yr
-
-$0
Big Rapids
MI
-
Nat: $55,137
$8,624
/yr
-
-$0
Henry Ford College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Dearborn
MI
-
Nat: $55,137
$660
/yr
-
-$0
Saint Paul
MN
-
Nat: $55,137
$20,744
/yr
-
-$0
East Mississippi Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Scooba
MS
-
Nat: $55,137
$4,608
/yr
-
-$0
Saint Louis
MO
-
Nat: $55,137
$27,047
/yr
-
-$0
Buffalo
NY
-
Nat: $55,137
$20,995
/yr
-
-$0
Burbank
CA
-
Nat: $55,137
$39,011
/yr
-
-$0
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.