Public Administration: is this bachelor's degree worth it?
National picture across 52 reporting college programs.
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$44,078 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.
12.2 yrsModeled economic break-even
−18%Modeled 10-year ROI
$64,953Observed earnings · year 4
Observed national outcomes
$64,953Median reported earnings · year 4
$61,108Average reported earnings · year 5
$23,626Median federal debt
53thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
52Reporting programs
47With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $67,522
- Federal debt
- $20,125
- Reporting programs
- 3
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $64,953
- Federal debt
- $23,626
- Reporting programs
- 52
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $76,815
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 2
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $77,329
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 244
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $100,861
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
First Professional Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $78,355
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $74,416
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 5
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$56,534National median$64,95375th percentile$70,202
47 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Barry University$97,7022Syracuse University$89,7323University of Maryland Global Campus$85,9094California State University, Northridge$85,7895Indiana University-Bloomington$77,4226California Baptist University$75,9497West Texas A&M University$74,2618Southern New Hampshire University$72,4379University of Nevada-Las Vegas$72,43310James Madison University$71,626Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Managers, All OtherSOC 11-9199 · 3 crosswalk linksTransportation, Storage, and Distribution ManagersSOC 11-3071 · 2 crosswalk linksChief ExecutivesSOC 11-1011 · 1 crosswalk linksConstruction ManagersSOC 11-9021 · 1 crosswalk linksGeneral and Operations ManagersSOC 11-1021 · 1 crosswalk linksLegislatorsSOC 11-1031 · 1 crosswalk linksPostmasters and Mail SuperintendentsSOC 11-9131 · 1 crosswalk linksSocial and Community Service ManagersSOC 11-9151 · 1 crosswalk linksTraffic TechniciansSOC 53-6041 · 1 crosswalk linksUrban and Regional PlannersSOC 19-3051 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 10-year ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barry UniversityBachelor's Degree | Miami, FL | $97,702 | $25,728 | +95% | Positive payoff |
| 2 | Syracuse UniversityBachelor's Degree | Syracuse, NY | $89,732 | $26,000 | +33% | Positive payoff |
| 3 | University of Maryland Global CampusBachelor's Degree | Adelphi, MD | $85,909 | $29,202 | +53% | Positive payoff |
| 4 | California State University, NorthridgeBachelor's Degree | Northridge, CA | $85,789 | $37,500 | +96% | Positive payoff |
| 5 | Indiana University-BloomingtonBachelor's Degree | Bloomington, IN | $77,422 | $20,731 | +32% | Positive payoff |
| 6 | California Baptist UniversityBachelor's Degree | Riverside, CA | $75,949 | $39,244 | +9% | Positive payoff |
| 7 | West Texas A&M UniversityBachelor's Degree | Canyon, TX | $74,261 | $24,798 | +13% | Positive payoff |
| 8 | Southern New Hampshire UniversityBachelor's Degree | Manchester, NH | $72,437 | $31,139 | -16% | Negative payoff |
| 9 | University of Nevada-Las VegasBachelor's Degree | Las Vegas, NV | $72,433 | Not available | +24% | Positive payoff |
| 10 | James Madison UniversityBachelor's Degree | Harrisonburg, VA | $71,626 | $19,500 | -3% | Negative payoff |
| 11 | Upper Iowa UniversityBachelor's Degree | Fayette, IA | $70,374 | $31,000 | -4% | Negative payoff |
| 12 | Western Carolina UniversityBachelor's Degree | Cullowhee, NC | $70,331 | $18,375 | +9% | Positive payoff |
| 13 | Flagler CollegeBachelor's Degree | Saint Augustine, FL | $70,202 | $21,485 | -17% | Negative payoff |
| 14 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeBachelor's Degree | New York, NY | $69,033 | $13,250 | +25% | Positive payoff |
| 15 | California State University, FullertonBachelor's Degree | Fullerton, CA | $68,497 | $13,273 | +14% | Positive payoff |
| 16 | The University of Arizona Global CampusBachelor's Degree | Chandler, AZ | $68,344 | $41,250 | -23% | Negative payoff |
| 17 | University of Phoenix-ArizonaBachelor's Degree | Phoenix, AZ | $68,272 | $45,656 | -1% | Negative payoff |
| 18 | California State University, Dominguez HillsBachelor's Degree | Carson, CA | $68,008 | $18,965 | +7% | Positive payoff |
| 19 | George Mason UniversityBachelor's Degree | Fairfax, VA | $67,973 | $20,106 | -9% | Negative payoff |
| 20 | University of OregonBachelor's Degree | Eugene, OR | $67,030 | $16,166 | -18% | Negative payoff |
| 21 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeBachelor's Degree | New York, NY | $66,834 | $13,895 | +13% | Positive payoff |
| 22 | Wayne State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Detroit, MI | $66,396 | $30,750 | -7% | Negative payoff |
| 23 | Auburn UniversityBachelor's Degree | Auburn, AL | $66,141 | Not available | -24% | Negative payoff |
| 24 | University of ArizonaBachelor's Degree | Tucson, AZ | $64,953 | $21,000 | -19% | Negative payoff |
| 25 | Florida International UniversityBachelor's Degree | Miami, FL | $62,424 | $27,022 | -20% | Negative payoff |
| 26 | Ohio State University-Main CampusBachelor's Degree | Columbus, OH | $60,678 | $21,887 | -37% | Negative payoff |
| 27 | Indiana University-IndianapolisBachelor's Degree | Indianapolis, IN | $60,564 | $25,000 | -31% | Negative payoff |
| 28 | University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterBachelor's Degree | Whitewater, WI | $60,383 | $27,187 | -35% | Negative payoff |
| 29 | University of Wisconsin-La CrosseBachelor's Degree | La Crosse, WI | $60,079 | $20,500 | -38% | Negative payoff |
| 30 | Texas State UniversityBachelor's Degree | San Marcos, TX | $59,074 | $27,418 | -43% | Negative payoff |
| 31 | University of Northern IowaBachelor's Degree | Cedar Falls, IA | $58,307 | $27,000 | -45% | Negative payoff |
| 32 | Kean UniversityBachelor's Degree | Union, NJ | $58,100 | $31,000 | -43% | Negative payoff |
| 33 | Florida Atlantic UniversityBachelor's Degree | Boca Raton, FL | $57,679 | $19,804 | -41% | Negative payoff |
| 34 | San Diego State UniversityBachelor's Degree | San Diego, CA | $57,264 | $15,000 | -49% | Negative payoff |
| 35 | The University of Texas at San AntonioBachelor's Degree | San Antonio, TX | $56,557 | $20,500 | -48% | Negative payoff |
| 36 | California State University, San BernardinoBachelor's Degree | San Bernardino, CA | $56,534 | $13,300 | -42% | Negative payoff |
| 37 | Indian River State CollegeBachelor's Degree | Fort Pierce, FL | $56,032 | Not available | -44% | Negative payoff |
| 38 | The University of Texas at DallasBachelor's Degree | Richardson, TX | $55,467 | $17,961 | -59% | Negative payoff |
| 39 | University of Central FloridaBachelor's Degree | Orlando, FL | $55,259 | $22,453 | -54% | Negative payoff |
| 40 | California State University, ChicoBachelor's Degree | Chico, CA | $54,714 | Not available | -59% | Negative payoff |
| 41 | University of Hawaii-West OahuBachelor's Degree | Kapolei, HI | $53,891 | $21,000 | -60% | Negative payoff |
| 42 | CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeBachelor's Degree | Brooklyn, NY | $53,849 | $19,187 | -56% | Negative payoff |
| 43 | Purdue University Fort WayneBachelor's Degree | Fort Wayne, IN | $53,257 | $22,242 | -65% | Negative payoff |
| 44 | Northern Arizona UniversityBachelor's Degree | Flagstaff, AZ | $52,834 | Not available | -67% | Negative payoff |
| 45 | Grand Valley State UniversityBachelor's Degree | Allendale, MI | $49,776 | $25,697 | -81% | Negative payoff |
| 46 | University of Wisconsin-Green BayBachelor's Degree | Green Bay, WI | $48,958 | Not available | -83% | Negative payoff |
| 47 | St Petersburg CollegeBachelor's Degree | St. Petersburg, FL | $47,320 | $31,809 | -88% | Negative payoff |
| 48 | University of La VerneBachelor's Degree | La Verne, CA | Not available | $29,333 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $20,161 |
| 49 | National UniversityBachelor's Degree | San Diego, CA | Not available | $31,603 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $22,878 |
| 50 | Central Michigan UniversityBachelor's Degree | Mount Pleasant, MI | Not available | $27,500 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $17,597 |
| 51 | Miami University-OxfordBachelor's Degree | Oxford, OH | Not available | $25,731 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $28,384 |
| 52 | University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusBachelor's Degree | Norman, OK | Not available | $20,548 | WithheldPrice-proxy sensitive | $15,300 |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.