College ROI

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Public Administration.

Undergrad Certificate10 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 ($67,522)
P25-P75 Interval ($60,537 - $72,965)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
Tempe
AZ
$72,965
Nat: $64,764
4yr Post-Grad
$14,967
/yr
-
+$311k
Tallahassee
FL
$67,522
Nat: $64,764
4yr Post-Grad
$11,297
/yr
$17,534
+$261k
Pittsburgh
PA
$60,537
Nat: $64,764
4yr Post-Grad
$30,434
/yr
-
+$174k
Indianapolis
IN
-
Nat: $64,764
$11,668
/yr
-
-$0
New York
NY
-
Nat: $64,764
$2,984
/yr
-
-$0
Fayetteville Technical Community College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Fayetteville
NC
-
Nat: $64,764
$3,589
/yr
-
-$0
Central Texas College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Killeen
TX
-
Nat: $64,764
$10,265
/yr
-
-$0
Tyler Junior College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Tyler
TX
-
Nat: $64,764
$10,206
/yr
-
-$0
South Texas College
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
McAllen
TX
-
Nat: $64,764
$1,751
/yr
-
-$0
Lamar Institute of Technology
⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI.
Beaumont
TX
-
Nat: $64,764
$13,866
/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.