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Western Kentucky University

⌖ Bowling Green, KY · 70 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$184,440 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.

56.7 yrsModeled economic break-even
−82%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,952Observed 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
−$184,440at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$223,9600
2
4
6
8
−$184,44010
Years after graduationBreak-even: 56.7 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$11,652
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$27,000
Sticker price
Average net price$10,990
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$24,188
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$10,990Average net price / year
$24,188Cost of attendance
$22,095Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$234/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,952Median earnings · year 5 after completion
55.6%Completion rate
93.9%Admission rate
12,155Student 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$7,087
$30–48k$6,871
$48–75k$9,765
$75–110k$14,049
$110k+$17,653
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$48,952
Year 6$38,156
Year 10$43,889
Full-time retention
78.3%
Part-time retention
41.2%
Completion within 200% of normal time
54.9%

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.

59thEarnings percentile
46thCompletion 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.

$53,921Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$25,000Median federal debt across categories that report debt
14%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$40,545Year 1
$53,602Year 4
$48,952Year 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.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$112,4552Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Doctoral Degree$112,1793Mechanical Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$86,6244Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's Degree$86,0335Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$85,7726Finance and Financial Management Services · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$85,6347Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Doctoral Degree$84,6808Construction Engineering Technology/Technician · Bachelor's Degree$84,057

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

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in KY

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Richmond, KY

Eastern Kentucky University

Annual net price
$11,040
Observed earnings · year 5
$49,636
Modeled 10-year ROI
-79%
Open college profile →Morehead, KY

Morehead State University

Annual net price
$9,793
Observed earnings · year 5
$46,860
Modeled 10-year ROI
-92%
Open college profile →Murray, KY

Murray State University

Annual net price
$9,096
Observed earnings · year 5
$47,259
Modeled 10-year ROI
-90%
Open college profile →Louisville, KY

Jefferson Community and Technical College

Annual net price
$6,376
Observed earnings · year 5
$48,567
Modeled 10-year ROI
-83%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's Degree$112,455Not available
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingDoctoral Degree$112,179Not available
Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's Degree$86,624$27,000
Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's Degree$86,033Not available
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's Degree$85,772Not available
Finance and Financial Management ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$85,634Not available
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsDoctoral Degree$84,680Not available
Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianBachelor's Degree$84,057$29,000
Accounting and Related ServicesMaster's Degree$78,094Not available
Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$76,463Not available
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree$75,959$21,000
Civil EngineeringBachelor's Degree$75,732$22,100
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's Degree$74,452$21,500
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree$73,496$26,330
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree$73,300$27,000
Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree$71,274$25,000
Architectural Sciences and TechnologyBachelor's Degree$71,240$26,823
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree$71,024Not available
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree$70,313$19,500
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree$69,436Not available
Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's Degree$68,333Not available
EconomicsBachelor's Degree$68,051$19,500
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$66,066Not available
International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's Degree$64,710Not available
MarketingBachelor's Degree$60,222$23,250
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's Degree$60,103$27,000
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree$59,362$25,320
Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsBachelor's Degree$57,958$23,199
Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's Degree$57,844$19,500
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree$57,271$25,000
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities ManagementMaster's Degree$57,109Not available
Social WorkMaster's Degree$56,628Not available
Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's Degree$55,249Not available
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree$54,396$24,593
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree$54,333$20,500
Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's Degree$53,921Not available
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's Degree$53,839$25,000
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$52,487$22,500
Library Science and AdministrationMaster's Degree$52,390Not available
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's Degree$51,451Not available
Special Education and TeachingMaster's Degree$51,391Not available
Agriculture, GeneralBachelor's Degree$51,065$23,656
Hospitality Administration/ManagementBachelor's Degree$50,712$24,883
Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree$50,392$23,500
Business Administration, Management and OperationsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$49,760Not available
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's Degree$49,133Not available
Social WorkBachelor's Degree$48,771$26,000
JournalismBachelor's Degree$47,661$25,500
Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's Degree$47,567Not available
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree$46,583$28,892
Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree$45,957$27,000
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree$45,877$16,000
Apparel and TextilesBachelor's Degree$45,420$27,000
CriminologyBachelor's Degree$45,124$26,000
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree$44,848$24,846
Public HealthBachelor's Degree$43,605$23,543
SociologyBachelor's Degree$43,520$26,529
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's Degree$43,210Not available
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities ManagementBachelor's Degree$42,600$26,000
Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's Degree$41,791$28,794
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree$40,838$30,375
Special Education and TeachingBachelor's Degree$40,705$27,000
English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree$40,616$23,232
AnthropologyBachelor's Degree$40,415Not available
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$38,962Not available
HistoryBachelor's Degree$38,836$22,965
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree$38,656$25,000
MathematicsBachelor's Degree$38,434Not available
MusicBachelor's Degree$38,377$24,317
Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's Degree$34,987$21,821

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.