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Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Skidmore College

⌖ Saratoga Springs, NY · 13 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$162,678 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.

21.1 yrsModeled economic break-even

−53%Modeled 10-year ROI

$59,651Observed earnings · year 5

Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff

Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it

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

−$162,678at year 10

Net gainInvestment not yet recovered

NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED

−$309,1880

−$162,67810

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$67,290

Sticker price

Published out-of-state tuition$67,290

Sticker price

Average net price$32,297

Title IV student average

Cost of attendance$85,270

Tuition + living budget

COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Main award level: Bachelor’s degrees
Campus setting: Suburban
Admissions: Selective admission
Delivery: Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation: No special designation reported

Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.

OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$32,297Average net price / year

$85,270Cost of attendance

$19,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers

$207/moPublished 10-year payment estimate

$59,651Median earnings · year 5 after completion

82.6%Completion rate

21.1%Admission rate

2,694Student 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$9,932

$30–48k$11,454

$48–75k$15,855

$75–110k$22,438

$110k+$45,136

LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$59,651

Year 6$46,923

Year 10$69,363

Full-time retention: 89.6%
Part-time retention: 100.0%
Completion within 200% of normal time: 84.6%

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.

79thEarnings percentile

84thCompletion 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.

$56,595Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories

$18,500Median federal debt across categories that report debt

82%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark

EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$36,073Year 1

$61,281Year 4

$59,651Year 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

Strongest relative outcomes

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.

1Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $93,229 reported+36%vs same-degree national median$20,814federal debt 2Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree · $53,602 reported+30%vs same-degree national median$18,500federal debt 3Social WorkBachelor's Degree · $61,428 reported+19%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 4Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $104,708 reported+13%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 5Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree · $69,091 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$23,025federal debt 6Physiology, Pathology and Related SciencesBachelor's Degree · $67,645 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$13,250federal debt

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in NY

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.

Ithaca, NY

Ithaca College

Annual net price: $33,926
Observed earnings · year 5: $59,052
Modeled 10-year ROI: -55%

Open college profile →Oneonta, NY

Hartwick College

Annual net price: $31,320
Observed earnings · year 5: $58,204
Modeled 10-year ROI: -57%

Open college profile →New York, NY

Touro University

Annual net price: $29,627
Observed earnings · year 5: $58,185
Modeled 10-year ROI: -56%

Open college profile →Canton, NY

St Lawrence University

Annual net price: $28,651
Observed earnings · year 5: $61,947
Modeled 10-year ROI: -42%

Open college profile →

ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal field	Credential	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	2023–24 awards
Computer and Information Sciences, General	Bachelor's Degree	$104,708	Not available	Not reported
Business/Commerce, General	Bachelor's Degree	$93,229	$20,814	Not reported
Political Science and Government	Bachelor's Degree	$69,091	$23,025	Not reported
Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences	Bachelor's Degree	$67,645	$13,250	Not reported
Social Work	Bachelor's Degree	$61,428	Not available	Not reported
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	Bachelor's Degree	$56,595	Not available	Not reported
Fine and Studio Arts	Bachelor's Degree	$53,602	$18,500	Not reported
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	Bachelor's Degree	$51,512	$26,751	Not reported
English Language and Literature, General	Bachelor's Degree	$51,029	$20,000	Not reported
Psychology, General	Bachelor's Degree	$47,282	$18,322	Not reported
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	Bachelor's Degree	$40,351	Not available	Not reported
Biology, General	Bachelor's Degree	Not available	$14,600	Not reported
Sociology	Bachelor's Degree	Not available	$9,200	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.