10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$203,412at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Vassar College
⌖ Poughkeepsie, NY · 20 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$203,412 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.
25.2 yrsModeled economic break-even
−60%Modeled 10-year ROI
$58,396Observed 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
- 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
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$39,343Average net price / year
$87,419Cost of attendance
$18,625Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$197/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$58,396Median earnings · year 5 after completion
91.1%Completion rate
18.6%Admission rate
2,444Student 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
$34,993Year 1
$61,818Year 4
$58,396Year 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.
1Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$124,4692Economics · Bachelor's Degree$102,5843Political Science and Government · Bachelor's Degree$69,9424Research and Experimental Psychology · Bachelor's Degree$65,0955International Relations and National Security Studies · Bachelor's Degree$63,5916Fine and Studio Arts · Bachelor's Degree$63,4187Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Bachelor's Degree$61,3598Sociology · Bachelor's Degree$61,106Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
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.
1Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree · $63,418 reported+53%vs same-degree national median$18,985federal debt2Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $124,469 reported+35%vs same-degree national median$17,037federal debt3English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $60,461 reported+24%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt4EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $102,584 reported+24%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt5HistoryBachelor's Degree · $59,814 reported+18%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt6Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's Degree · $65,095 reported+17%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt
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%
Hartwick College
- Annual net price
- $31,320
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $58,204
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -57%
Skidmore College
- Annual net price
- $32,297
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $59,651
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -53%
Touro University
- Annual net price
- $29,627
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $58,185
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -56%
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 | $124,469 | $17,037 | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $102,584 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $69,942 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $65,095 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $63,591 | $20,232 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $63,418 | $18,985 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $61,359 | $18,652 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $61,106 | Not available | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $60,461 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Urban Studies/Affairs | Bachelor's Degree | $59,930 | Not available | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $59,814 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $58,163 | $18,250 | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $54,839 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $45,359 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $42,956 | $17,993 | Not reported |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's Degree | $40,165 | $20,000 | Not reported |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $16,000 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Science, Technology and Society | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $18,593 | Not reported |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $16,500 | 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.