Degree economics · United States

College Cost

Pays back in
—

How we calculate

  • 4 years of school at the school's net price
  • Lost wages while in school vs the chosen baseline
  • Student loans at 6.39%, repaid over 10 years
  • 24% effective tax · 3% annual wage growth
  • Median earnings from federal Scorecard data
Pick a school and degree to beginvs high-school grad

Pick a school to begin

Search for a US college above to see how its degrees pay off vs the realistic alternatives.

Assumptions & sources
No-degree baseline$42,000High-school-only workers ages 25–34, BLS CPS
Wage growth3%Compounded annually on baseline and degree earnings
Effective tax24%Federal + state blended planning assumption
Loan rate6.4%Federal Student Aid 2025–2026
Loan repayment10 yearsStandard federal repayment term
Career horizon40 yearsPost-graduation working life modeled
Cost basisAverage net priceAfter grants and institutional aid, not sticker
Earnings sourceCollege ScorecardFederal post-completion earnings, years 1 / 4 / 5

Coverage:only US bachelor's programs are modeled. Master's, doctoral, and professional programs aren't covered because federal data (College Scorecard) doesn't publish per-school graduate tuition. Planned for a future release via IPEDS.

Data: College Scorecard (latest available · 2024) · BLS CPS & OEWS 2024 · DFAS 2025