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Public Policy Analysis.
Master's Degree•95 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 ($84,618)
P25-P75 Interval ($76,103 - $96,919)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution | State | Earnings | Avg Net Price | Median Debt | Lifetime Value Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cambridge | MA | $129,978 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $19,066 /yr | $70,447 | +$466k |
San Francisco | CA | $124,169 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | - /yr | - | +$451k |
Princeton | NJ | $120,163 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $6,128 /yr | - | +$405k |
Chicago | IL | $112,727 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $14,860 /yr | $78,854 | +$324k |
Ann Arbor | MI | $107,392 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $13,138 /yr | $48,894 | +$281k |
Baltimore | MD | $107,692 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $18,809 /yr | $32,114 | +$273k |
Durham | NC | $109,274 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $29,612 /yr | $66,331 | +$267k |
Washington | DC | $110,634 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $40,815 /yr | $99,635 | +$258k |
Los Angeles | CA | $100,925 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $12,548 /yr | $41,000 | +$225k |
Pittsburgh | PA | $103,268 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $31,944 /yr | $41,000 | +$210k |
Waterbury | CT | $96,919 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $10,875 /yr | - | +$193k |
Charlottesville | VA | $99,110 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $21,565 /yr | $37,240 | +$193k |
Fairfax | VA | $97,926 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $17,915 /yr | $37,996 | +$189k |
Groton | CT | $96,919 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $13,807 /yr | - | +$188k |
College Park | MD | $96,792 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $15,678 /yr | $30,821 | +$183k |
Hartford | CT | $96,919 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $16,403 /yr | - | +$183k |
Stamford | CT | $96,919 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $16,798 /yr | - | +$182k |
Nashville | TN | $96,305 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $15,846 /yr | $40,464 | +$179k |
Storrs | CT | $96,919 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $25,097 /yr | - | +$167k |
Washington | DC | $98,588 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $41,943 /yr | $54,986 | +$151k |
Los Angeles | CA | $94,114 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $32,740 /yr | $81,516 | +$129k |
New York | NY | $87,221 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | - /yr | $41,599 | +$128k |
Washington | DC | $94,862 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $36,586 /yr | $53,242 | +$128k |
Philadelphia | PA | $91,832 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $28,198 /yr | $35,400 | +$117k |
Camden | NJ | $89,111 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $18,745 /yr | $30,250 | +$110k |
New Brunswick | NJ | $89,111 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $24,406 /yr | $30,250 | +$100k |
Berkeley | CA | $83,177 Nat: $87,221 2yr Post-Grad | $13,481 /yr | - | +$98k |
North Dartmouth | MA | $87,730 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $20,927 /yr | - | +$94k |
Providence | RI | $87,139 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $25,184 /yr | $47,500 | +$81k |
Bothell | WA | $84,234 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $12,319 /yr | $22,821 | +$80k |
Seattle | WA | $84,234 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $14,091 /yr | $22,821 | +$76k |
Austin | TX | $84,618 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $19,857 /yr | $40,156 | +$69k |
Knoxville | TN | $82,094 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $18,976 /yr | - | +$49k |
Amherst | MA | $82,435 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $22,383 /yr | - | +$45k |
New York | NY | $89,713 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $58,741 /yr | $61,796 | +$42k |
Walden University ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Minneapolis | MN | $84,035 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $33,817 /yr | - | +$38k |
Minneapolis | MN | $80,100 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $16,778 /yr | $31,250 | +$35k |
Williamsburg | VA | $80,402 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $19,096 /yr | - | +$33k |
Madison | WI | $78,939 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $17,354 /yr | $20,213 | +$24k |
Stony Brook | NY | $77,523 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $18,784 /yr | $20,391 | +$9k |
Riverside | CA | $76,103 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $14,304 /yr | $41,775 | +$5k |
Tempe | AZ | - Nat: $93,020 | $14,967 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tucson | AZ | - Nat: $93,020 | $16,674 /yr | - | -$0 |
San Luis Obispo | CA | - Nat: $93,020 | $16,665 /yr | - | -$0 |
La Jolla | CA | - Nat: $93,020 | $12,470 /yr | $33,242 | -$0 |
Stockton | CA | - Nat: $93,020 | $25,447 /yr | - | -$0 |
Jacksonville University ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Jacksonville | FL | - Nat: $93,020 | $25,180 /yr | - | -$0 |
Atlanta | GA | - Nat: $93,020 | $12,116 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $93,020 | - /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $93,020 | $30,902 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $93,020 | $36,079 /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: $93,020 | $12,641 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cedar Falls | IA | - Nat: $93,020 | $15,901 /yr | - | -$0 |
Baltimore | MD | - Nat: $93,020 | $16,467 /yr | - | -$0 |
Boston | MA | - Nat: $93,020 | $17,707 /yr | - | -$0 |
Medford | MA | - Nat: $93,020 | $39,998 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houghton | MI | - Nat: $93,020 | $14,182 /yr | - | -$0 |
Dearborn | MI | - Nat: $93,020 | $9,492 /yr | - | -$0 |
Saint Paul | MN | - Nat: $93,020 | $29,155 /yr | - | -$0 |
St. Louis | MO | - Nat: $93,020 | $21,786 /yr | - | -$0 |
New England College ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Henniker | NH | - Nat: $93,020 | $26,972 /yr | - | -$0 |
Rochester | NY | - Nat: $93,020 | $34,906 /yr | - | -$0 |
Norman | OK | - Nat: $93,020 | $15,300 /yr | - | -$0 |
Doylestown | PA | - Nat: $93,020 | $28,278 /yr | - | -$0 |
Philadelphia | PA | - Nat: $93,020 | $38,509 /yr | - | -$0 |
Elizabethtown | PA | - Nat: $93,020 | $26,598 /yr | - | -$0 |
Philadelphia | PA | - Nat: $93,020 | $28,699 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pittsburgh | PA | - Nat: $93,020 | $30,434 /yr | - | -$0 |
Kingston | RI | - Nat: $93,020 | $21,440 /yr | - | -$0 |
Edinburg | TX | - Nat: $93,020 | $4,831 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houston | TX | - Nat: $93,020 | $19,359 /yr | - | -$0 |
The University of Texas at Arlington ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Arlington | TX | - Nat: $93,020 | $13,951 /yr | - | -$0 |
Richardson | TX | - Nat: $93,020 | $18,267 /yr | - | -$0 |
Salt Lake City | UT | - Nat: $93,020 | $16,200 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pullman | WA | - Nat: $93,020 | $14,971 /yr | - | -$0 |
Huntington | WV | - Nat: $93,020 | $7,502 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stanford | CA | - Nat: $93,020 | $13,807 /yr | - | -$0 |
American Public University System ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Charles Town | WV | - Nat: $93,020 | $9,597 /yr | - | -$0 |
Arizona State University Digital Immersion ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Scottsdale | AZ | - Nat: $93,020 | - /yr | - | -$0 |
Waltham | MA | $79,908 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $35,736 /yr | $41,000 | -$1k |
Irvine | CA | $75,045 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $14,251 /yr | $41,000 | -$5k |
Liberty University ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Lynchburg | VA | $78,054 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $29,357 /yr | $27,994 | -$6k |
Portland State University ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Portland | OR | $73,504 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $9,552 /yr | - | -$10k |
Durham | NH | $75,424 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $23,805 /yr | - | -$19k |
Houston | TX | $72,392 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $14,276 /yr | - | -$28k |
Malibu | CA | $81,037 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $58,098 /yr | $60,660 | -$33k |
East Lansing | MI | $72,828 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $19,680 /yr | - | -$34k |
Hartford | CT | $72,738 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $34,832 /yr | - | -$63k |
University of Southern Maine ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Portland | ME | $66,469 Nat: $93,020 4yr Post-Grad | $13,596 /yr | $31,571 | -$79k |
Boston | MA | $63,005 Nat: $93,020 2yr Post-Grad | $30,915 /yr | - | -$119k |
West Long Branch | NJ | $55,151 Nat: $93,020 2yr Post-Grad | $30,988 /yr | - | -$194k |
Bend | OR | $47,846 Nat: $93,020 2yr Post-Grad | $18,048 /yr | - | -$242k |
Corvallis | OR | $47,846 Nat: $93,020 2yr Post-Grad | $19,604 /yr | - | -$245k |
Denver | CO | $48,432 Nat: $93,020 2yr Post-Grad | $36,131 /yr | - | -$269k |
Pittsburgh | PA | $47,260 Nat: $93,020 2yr Post-Grad | $37,730 /yr | - | -$284k |
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.