10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$198,104at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
⌖ Arcata, CA · 39 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$198,104 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
67.3 yrsModeled economic break-even
−85%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,458Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Town
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$13,171Average net price / year
$25,170Cost of attendance
$18,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$191/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,458Median earnings · year 5 after completion
48.5%Completion rate
98.2%Admission rate
5,612Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$30,678Year 1
$51,571Year 4
$48,458Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Forestry · Bachelor's Degree$79,8492Psychology, General · Master's Degree$79,4293Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$78,2254Natural Resources Conservation and Research · Master's Degree$77,7855Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$74,6206Social Work · Master's Degree$74,2537Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · Master's Degree$72,1628Economics · Bachelor's Degree$61,175Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential—not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1ForestryBachelor's Degree · $79,849 reported+36%vs same-degree national median$22,173federal debt2Psychology, GeneralMaster's Degree · $79,429 reported+23%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's Degree · $72,162 reported+16%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Social WorkMaster's Degree · $74,253 reported+14%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Social WorkBachelor's Degree · $57,953 reported+12%vs same-degree national median$23,286federal debt6Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and ManagementBachelor's Degree · $50,525 reported+7%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in CA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Oakland, CA
Merritt College
- Annual net price
- $14,021
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,791
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -88%
Los Angeles Harbor College
- Annual net price
- $13,250
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,870
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -92%
Lassen Community College
- Annual net price
- $12,517
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,367
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
Compton College
- Annual net price
- $12,647
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,489
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -94%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry | Bachelor's Degree | $79,849 | $22,173 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Master's Degree | $79,429 | Not available | Not reported |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $78,225 | $24,350 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Master's Degree | $77,785 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $74,620 | $17,750 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $74,253 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Master's Degree | $72,162 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $61,175 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $60,005 | $16,000 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $57,953 | $23,286 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $55,707 | $20,200 | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $55,222 | $20,113 | Not reported |
| Criminology | Bachelor's Degree | $55,174 | $16,849 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $53,722 | Not available | Not reported |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $53,371 | $20,526 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $50,915 | $15,500 | 0 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $50,579 | $24,000 | Not reported |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $50,525 | Not available | Not reported |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $49,706 | $18,196 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $48,143 | $16,458 | Not reported |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $47,003 | $22,500 | Not reported |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $46,245 | $23,162 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $45,995 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $45,889 | $16,200 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $43,310 | $17,000 | Not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $43,064 | $15,533 | 0 |
| Botany/Plant Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $42,743 | Not available | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $42,119 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $42,049 | $16,000 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $41,994 | $19,159 | Not reported |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $41,464 | $18,150 | Not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $41,105 | $16,500 | Not reported |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $40,566 | Not available | Not reported |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $39,178 | $22,300 | Not reported |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $38,495 | $20,690 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $34,812 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $19,083 | Not reported |
| Geography and Cartography | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $17,412 | Not reported |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $23,164 | Not reported |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.