10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$77,488at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
⌖ Blacksburg, VA · 86 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
MODELED SCENARIO · Positive payoff
+$77,488 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
This is a positive modeled result. Price, time to finish and future earnings can still change the outcome.
7.8 yrsModeled economic break-even
+28%Modeled 10-year ROI
$80,730Observed earnings · year 5
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.
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$24,953Average net price / year
$36,951Cost of attendance
$21,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$228/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$80,730Median earnings · year 5 after completion
86.2%Completion rate
54.8%Admission rate
30,923Student 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
$59,604Year 1
$85,647Year 4
$80,730Year 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.
1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$154,6882Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other · Master's Degree$148,0003Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$144,1034Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Master's Degree$130,0295Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences · Doctoral Degree$123,0786Computer Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$122,0267Mechanical Engineering · Master's Degree$119,8438Applied Mathematics · Bachelor's Degree$117,990Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Comparable colleges in VA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.
Charlottesville, VA
University of Virginia-Main Campus
- Annual net price
- $21,565
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $85,639
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +53%
Virginia Military Institute
- Annual net price
- $17,113
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $79,378
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +38%
George Mason University
- Annual net price
- $17,915
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $75,373
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +21%
James Madison University
- Annual net price
- $23,322
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $69,066
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -12%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $154,688 | Not available |
| Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other | Master's Degree | $148,000 | Not available |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $144,103 | $20,500 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Master's Degree | $130,029 | Not available |
| Veterinary Biomedical and Clinical Sciences | Doctoral Degree | $123,078 | Not available |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $122,026 | $26,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $119,843 | Not available |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $117,990 | $20,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | Master's Degree | $117,338 | Not available |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $116,641 | $22,870 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Master's Degree | $115,736 | Not available |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $108,726 | $21,700 |
| Materials Engineering | Master's Degree | $108,485 | Not available |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $106,633 | $26,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $106,011 | $25,350 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $104,839 | $25,849 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $102,902 | $22,500 |
| Construction Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $102,699 | $26,698 |
| Engineering Mechanics | Bachelor's Degree | $101,509 | $27,500 |
| Civil Engineering | Master's Degree | $99,698 | Not available |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $99,528 | $18,500 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $96,906 | Not available |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $96,376 | $23,000 |
| Real Estate | Bachelor's Degree | $95,576 | $27,000 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $95,271 | Not available |
| Construction Management | Bachelor's Degree | $95,165 | $27,000 |
| Medicine | First Professional Degree | $94,416 | Not available |
| Mining and Mineral Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $94,397 | $20,907 |
| Statistics | Bachelor's Degree | $94,300 | $15,500 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Doctoral Degree | $93,304 | Not available |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $92,746 | $27,000 |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $92,653 | $22,500 |
| Materials Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $90,828 | $27,000 |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $88,961 | Not available |
| Agricultural Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $88,315 | $26,625 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $88,142 | $25,760 |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $86,338 | $22,500 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Master's Degree | $86,237 | Not available |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | Master's Degree | $85,049 | Not available |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Doctoral Degree | $84,607 | Not available |
| Architecture | Master's Degree | $84,023 | Not available |
| Engineering-Related Fields | Bachelor's Degree | $81,618 | $23,750 |
| Food Science and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | $80,161 | $26,875 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $80,023 | $22,535 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $75,687 | $24,250 |
| Architecture | Bachelor's Degree | $75,074 | $29,000 |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $74,005 | $25,000 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $73,395 | $26,497 |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $73,036 | Not available |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | Bachelor's Degree | $72,817 | $25,680 |
| Design and Applied Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $72,213 | $25,802 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $71,988 | $21,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $70,335 | Not available |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Bachelor's Degree | $68,263 | $22,500 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | Bachelor's Degree | $67,892 | $23,500 |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $67,763 | $23,250 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $67,621 | $24,125 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | Bachelor's Degree | $67,253 | $24,135 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Bachelor's Degree | $66,177 | $15,468 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $66,106 | $20,613 |
| Geography and Cartography | Bachelor's Degree | $65,259 | $20,500 |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services | Bachelor's Degree | $65,248 | $22,875 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $64,225 | $21,625 |
| Forestry | Bachelor's Degree | $64,204 | $20,919 |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $63,654 | $22,859 |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $62,398 | $22,999 |
| Agriculture, General | Master's Degree | $62,078 | Not available |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $61,703 | $20,500 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $59,969 | Not available |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $59,868 | $26,408 |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $59,819 | $20,499 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $59,714 | $23,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $58,652 | $26,323 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $58,513 | Not available |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $58,340 | $21,500 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $57,587 | Not available |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's Degree | $56,901 | Not available |
| Plant Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $56,630 | $20,687 |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $56,365 | $22,151 |
| Agriculture, General | Bachelor's Degree | $53,568 | Not available |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $48,028 | $27,000 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $47,496 | $21,500 |
| Animal Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $47,224 | $22,631 |
| Agricultural Production Operations | Associate's Degree | $46,669 | $11,000 |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $30,750 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $24,637 |
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.