⌖ Decatur, IL · 16 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$200,036 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.
39.5 yrsModeled economic break-even
−75%Modeled 10-year ROI
$51,792Observed 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
−$200,036at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$267,9560
2
4
6
8
−$200,03610
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$26,892Sticker pricePublished out-of-state tuition$26,892Sticker priceAverage net price$21,989Title IV student averageCost of attendance$57,475Tuition + living budget
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$21,989Average net price / year
$57,475Cost of attendance
$27,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$286/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$51,792Median earnings · year 5 after completion
54.9%Completion rate
66.7%Admission rate
1,382Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME
Average net price is not one price
Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.
$0–30k$18,659
$30–48k$15,629
$48–75k$23,053
$75–110k$24,622
$110k+$27,524
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT
What happens beyond the first earnings measure
Year 5$51,792
Year 6$43,100
Year 10$51,262
Full-time retention
75.0%
Part-time retention
0.0%
Completion within 200% of normal time
58.1%
Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
66thEarnings percentile45thCompletion percentile
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.
$52,910Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories$27,000Median federal debt across categories that report debt44%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$40,104Year 1
$54,115Year 4
$51,792Year 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.
Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST
Comparable colleges in IL
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.
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.
Millikin University ROI, Cost & Earnings | DegreeVerdict