10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$149,626at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Fort Hays State University
⌖ Hays, KS · 39 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$149,626 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.
28.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
−65%Modeled 10-year ROI
$53,065Observed 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
- Higher Learning 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
$12,569Average net price / year
$19,909Cost of attendance
$21,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$223/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$53,065Median earnings · year 5 after completion
47.7%Completion rate
90.3%Admission rate
9,733Student 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
$46,394Year 1
$56,419Year 4
$53,065Year 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.
1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$98,6302Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$79,9573Computer Programming · Bachelor's Degree$73,3804Political Science and Government · Bachelor's Degree$72,3845Educational Administration and Supervision · Master's Degree$71,5706Information Science/Studies · Bachelor's Degree$67,8237Psychology, General · Master's Degree$66,8528Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other · Master's Degree$66,697Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Comparable colleges in KS
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Wichita, KS
Wichita State University
- Annual net price
- $13,194
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $54,872
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -58%
Washburn University
- Annual net price
- $15,280
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $53,209
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -66%
Fort Hays Tech North Central
- Annual net price
- $12,393
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $49,748
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -79%
Washburn Institute of Technology
- Annual net price
- $8,607
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $53,209
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -62%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $98,630 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $79,957 | $24,726 | Not reported |
| Computer Programming | Bachelor's Degree | $73,380 | $28,000 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $72,384 | $30,468 | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $71,570 | Not available | 25 |
| Information Science/Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $67,823 | $26,427 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Master's Degree | $66,852 | Not available | Not reported |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Master's Degree | $66,697 | Not available | Not reported |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | Master's Degree | $66,097 | Not available | 12 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Master's Degree | $65,851 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $65,526 | $26,564 | Not reported |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | Master's Degree | $64,964 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $64,524 | $19,520 | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $63,148 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $62,261 | $31,000 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $62,165 | $19,626 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $61,153 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Special Education and Teaching | Master's Degree | $60,958 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Master's Degree | $59,149 | Not available | Not reported |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $58,520 | $19,250 | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $58,463 | $30,950 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $58,355 | $22,000 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $55,830 | Not available | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $55,790 | $28,750 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Bachelor's Degree | $53,945 | $23,082 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $53,549 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $53,176 | $26,573 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $51,898 | $29,000 | Not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's Degree | $51,758 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's Degree | $51,641 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Bachelor's Degree | $50,246 | $24,000 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $45,190 | $30,800 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $44,405 | $33,482 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $39,280 | $22,937 | Not reported |
| Agriculture, General | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $20,340 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | Not available | $24,610 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $31,000 | Not reported |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $23,875 | Not reported |
| Management Information Systems and Services | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $24,119 | 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.