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Interactive tool · College Scorecard data

College ROI Calculator

Run a simplified four-year cost and earnings scenario for 6,243 U.S. colleges, using federal cohort data and clearly stated assumptions.

6,243
Colleges covered
$43,830
Avg 10-yr earnings
$50,232
HS-only baseline / yr

The earnings picture, before you start

Across 6,243 US colleges, 10-year former-student earnings range from under $20,000 to over $140,000 a year. Use the form below to compare a school's reported cohort inputs under one consistent scenario.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

6,243
colleges with earnings data
$50,232
high-school-only baseline / yr (BLS)
71%
of colleges earn below that HS baseline
$143,372
top value now - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Why ROI varies so much

Where the high-school baseline falls among US colleges

10-year former-student earnings across every US college

Each bar is the number of colleges in that earnings band, the marker is the high-school-only baseline.

$50,232 Top 29% higher than 71% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. HS-only baseline $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · BLS · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

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Best-value colleges to compare

Full best-value ranking →
  1. 1 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA · run the numbers → $143,37210-yr earnings $20,111net price / yr
  2. 2 California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA · run the numbers → $128,56610-yr earnings $16,075net price / yr
  3. 3 Stanford UniversityStanford, CA · run the numbers → $124,08010-yr earnings $13,807net price / yr
  4. 4 University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. LouisSaint Louis, MO · run the numbers → $137,04710-yr earnings $31,817net price / yr
  5. 5 Franklin W Olin College of EngineeringNeedham, MA · run the numbers → $129,45510-yr earnings $25,171net price / yr
  6. 6 Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ · run the numbers → $110,06610-yr earnings $6,128net price / yr

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the ROI scenario calculated? ▼
The model multiplies the selected annual net-price field by four, then compares institution-level 10-year former-student earnings with the BLS high-school-only benchmark ($50,232 per year, 2025 annual average) over the selected career length. It holds annual earnings flat and does not estimate a causal school effect, taxes, financing, opportunity cost, or individual aid.
What is the payback period? ▼
In this simplified scenario, the payback period is the modeled four-year cost divided by the annual difference between the two earnings benchmarks. It is not a prediction of when an individual will break even.
Why is completion shown? ▼
Completion within 150% of normal time is shown as separate institutional context. It does not weight the earnings calculation because the institution-level earnings cohort already includes completers and noncompleters.
This calculator uses College Scorecard institution data retrieved in July 2026. Earnings are 10-year entry-cohort medians for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled; they are not graduate-only values or individual forecasts. The high-school baseline comes from Bureau of Labor Statistics median weekly earnings for workers age 25+ with a high-school diploma. See our methodology for the derivation and limitations.

What this means for your numbers

  • The calculator uses net price after grants and scholarships, not sticker price - the two can differ by tens of thousands of dollars a year.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology currently ranks first on PlainCollege's best-value list (10-yr entry-cohort earnings minus Title IV net price, dual-cohort join).See the full best-value ranking
  • The debt-to-earnings figure here divides median federal debt by institution-level median earnings ten years after entry; it is a descriptive cross-cohort check, not a repayment forecast.

This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Results are estimates based on historical national averages and do not predict any individual student's actual costs or earnings.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Scenario outputs combine College Scorecard fields with disclosed four-year-cost, flat-earnings, and BLS-baseline assumptions; they are not source fields or causal estimates. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.