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Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Luther College

⌖ Decorah, IA · 19 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$178,218 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

28.9 yrsModeled economic break-even
−65%Modeled 10-year ROI
$54,417Observed earnings · year 5
Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$178,218at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$272,3880
2
4
6
8
−$178,21810
Years after graduationBreak-even: 28.9 years
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.

Published in-state tuition$52,120
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$52,120
Sticker price
Average net price$23,097
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$65,461
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, completion and earnings context

$23,097Average net price / year
$65,461Cost of attendance
$54,417Median earnings · year 5 after completion
71.1%Completion rate
71.5%Admission rate
1,379Student size
NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

71thEarnings percentile
69thCompletion percentile
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$42,759Year 1
$55,033Year 4
$54,417Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$77,5692Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's Degree$75,3413Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's Degree$68,5104Biology, General · Bachelor's Degree$63,9985Psychology, General · Bachelor's Degree$56,4696Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Bachelor's Degree$54,8217Political Science and Government · Bachelor's Degree$53,5108Communication and Media Studies · Bachelor's Degree$52,905

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in IA

Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Dubuque, IA

Clarke University

Annual net price
$24,479
Observed earnings · year 5
$54,237
Modeled 10-year ROI
-67%
Open college profile →Indianola, IA

Simpson College

Annual net price
$21,936
Observed earnings · year 5
$54,998
Modeled 10-year ROI
-63%
Open college profile →Des Moines, IA

Grand View University

Annual net price
$21,774
Observed earnings · year 5
$56,005
Modeled 10-year ROI
-59%
Open college profile →Dubuque, IA

University of Dubuque

Annual net price
$23,386
Observed earnings · year 5
$57,222
Modeled 10-year ROI
-55%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree$77,569$27,000
Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree$75,341$27,000
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree$68,510$27,000
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$63,998$27,000
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$56,469$26,500
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree$54,821$27,000
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree$53,510$27,000
Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree$52,905$27,000
Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's Degree$52,296Not available
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree$51,913$27,000
MusicBachelor's Degree$50,947$27,000
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree$50,580Not available
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree$50,164$27,000
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's Degree$49,769Not available
Social WorkBachelor's Degree$47,660$27,000
English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree$46,116$27,000
HistoryBachelor's Degree$45,737Not available
Computer ScienceBachelor's DegreeNot available$27,000
Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's DegreeNot available$27,000

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.