Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH · 14 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$298,720 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.

93.3 yrsModeled economic break-even
−89%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,586Observed 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
−$298,720at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$334,5800
2
4
6
8
−$298,72010
Years after graduationBreak-even: 93.3 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$67,366
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$67,366
Sticker price
Average net price$38,645
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$87,404
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$38,645Average net price / year
$87,404Cost of attendance
$26,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$276/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,586Median earnings · year 5 after completion
80.9%Completion rate
34.2%Admission rate
2,887Student 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$18,774
$30–48k$15,799
$48–75k$22,123
$75–110k$29,207
$110k+$48,731
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$48,586
Year 6$38,871
Year 10$58,343
Full-time retention
91.0%
Part-time retention
Not available
Completion within 200% of normal time
84.4%

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.

58thEarnings percentile
82thCompletion 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.

$49,906Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$25,000Median federal debt across categories that report debt
64%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$23,185Year 1
$51,715Year 4
$48,586Year 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.

1Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$129,3952Economics · Bachelor's Degree$87,1203Political Science and Government · Bachelor's Degree$70,6894History · Bachelor's Degree$60,8955Area Studies · Bachelor's Degree$55,1516English Language and Literature, General · Bachelor's Degree$49,9067Psychology, General · Bachelor's Degree$48,1098Natural Resources Conservation and Research · Bachelor's Degree$46,580

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

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in OH

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.

Gambier, OH

Kenyon College

Annual net price
$38,512
Observed earnings · year 5
$54,810
Modeled 10-year ROI
-71%
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Defiance, OH

Defiance College

Annual net price
$26,337
Observed earnings · year 5
$46,809
Modeled 10-year ROI
-94%
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Granville, OH

Denison University

Annual net price
$40,007
Observed earnings · year 5
$61,795
Modeled 10-year ROI
-51%
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Steubenville, OH

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Annual net price
$23,589
Observed earnings · year 5
$49,632
Modeled 10-year ROI
-83%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree$129,395$26,500
EconomicsBachelor's Degree$87,120$25,000
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree$70,689$24,314
HistoryBachelor's Degree$60,895$26,050
Area StudiesBachelor's Degree$55,151$24,951
English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree$49,906$26,000
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$48,109$26,000
Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's Degree$46,580$23,250
Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree$44,299$20,500
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$44,095$23,250
MusicBachelor's Degree$43,343$26,200
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's DegreeNot available$26,487
MathematicsBachelor's DegreeNot available$22,625
Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's DegreeNot available$25,500

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.