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Interactive tool · College Scorecard data

College ROI Calculator

Is your school worth the investment? Compare four-year cost against the lifetime earnings premium for 6,243 U.S. colleges, using federal earnings and net-price data.

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

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California · Private Nonprofit

The verdict

California Institute of Technology returns an estimated 3327% over 30 years, paying back its four-year cost in about 0.9 years, with graduate earnings higher than 99% of US colleges.

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

3327%
lifetime ROI over 30 yrs
0.9 yr
cost payback period
top 1%
graduate earnings, US colleges
$64,300
four-year total cost
3327%
Lifetime ROI
0.9 yr
Payback Period
$2.2M
Lifetime Earnings Premium
$64,300
4-Year Total Cost

When California Institute of Technology pays for itself

Cumulative net value over a 30-year career, the four-year cost, then the earnings premium adding up each year. The line starts below zero (the upfront investment) and crosses into positive territory at about year 0.9; everything above the line after that is net gain.

$-500K$0K$500K$1,000K$1,500K$2,000K$2,500K 051015202530 $2,139K

Net value = cumulative earnings premium over a high-school baseline, minus the $64,300 four-year cost. Break-even (the $0 line) is the payback point. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS.

How We Calculated This

Annual net price (average) $16,075
4-year total cost $64,300
Graduate median earnings (10yr post-enrollment) $128,566
High school median earnings (BLS baseline) $50,232
Graduation rate (weights expected earnings) 94%
Expected annual earnings (completion-weighted) $123,678
Annual earnings premium vs HS diploma +$73,446
Career length for lifetime premium 30 years

California Institute of Technology: earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$128,566 Top 1% higher than 100% 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%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). This entry sits in this band. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $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 · 2024

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Frequently Asked Questions

How is college ROI calculated? ▼
We compare the 4-year total cost of attendance (net price after financial aid, multiplied by 4 years) against the lifetime earnings premium, the difference between graduate median earnings and high school median earnings ($50,232/year, BLS 2025 annual average), weighted by the school's graduation rate, over your selected career length.
What is the payback period? ▼
The payback period is how many years of post-graduation earnings it takes to recoup your total investment. A payback of 5 years means you break even 5 years after graduating. Shorter is better.
Why is completion rate included? ▼
Not everyone who enrolls actually graduates. The completion rate weights the expected earnings: if a school has a 50% graduation rate, your expected earnings are a blend of graduate earnings and non-graduate earnings (high school median). This provides a more realistic ROI estimate.
Is California Institute of Technology worth the investment? ▼
Based on College Scorecard data, California Institute of Technology has a 3327% lifetime ROI over 30 years with a 0.9-year payback period. Graduates earn a median of $128,566 (10 years post-enrollment) against a 4-year cost of $64,300. The graduation rate is 94%.
According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, updated September 2024, this calculator draws its earnings and cost inputs from the same federal release PlainCollege uses for all 6,243 tracked postsecondary institutions. Earnings are median values 10 years after enrollment. High school baseline: Bureau of Labor Statistics median weekly earnings for workers 25+ with a high school diploma. See our methodology for how these figures are sourced and computed.

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, earnings minus net price.See the full best-value ranking
  • Debt-to-earnings ratio - median debt divided by median first-year earnings - is a useful sanity check on affordability alongside the raw ROI figure.

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. ROI figures are computed directly from College Scorecard cost and earnings data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2024-25.