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Calcimator

Graduate Program ROI Calculator

Calculate earnings premium versus tuition and opportunity cost for graduate degrees.

Inputs

$
$
$
$
$

Results

10-Year ROI

48.2%

Annual Earnings Premium$30,000.00
Break-Even Point6
Total Investment$180,000.00
10-Year Net Return$86,770.08
Lifetime Net Return (30yr)$1,247,262.47
Opportunity Cost$80,000.00
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter your Current Annual Salary (or the salary you would earn without the degree).
  2. Enter Expected Post-Grad Salary — research median salaries for your target role and field.
  3. Set Total Tuition for the entire program and Program Length in years.
  4. Add Annual Living Expenses and any Annual Earnings During Program (assistantships, part-time income).
  5. Review Annual Earnings Premium, Break-Even Point, and 10-Year ROI to evaluate whether the degree pays off.
  6. Compare 10-Year Net Return vs. Lifetime Net Return (30yr) to see the long-term financial case for the degree.

How the result changes with Expected Post-Grad Salary

Expected Post-Grad Salary10-Year ROI
$50,000.00-124.7%
$175,000.00492.8%
$325,000.001,233.9%
$450,000.001,851.4%

What each input means

Current Annual Salary
Your current or expected salary without the graduate degree.
Expected Post-Grad Salary
Expected annual salary after completing the degree.
Total Tuition
Total tuition for the entire program.
Program Length (Years)
Duration of the graduate program in years.
Annual Living Expenses
Additional annual living expenses during the program.
Annual Earnings During Program
Income earned while in the program (assistantship, part-time).
Annual Salary Growth
Expected annual salary growth rate after graduation.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Current Annual Salary = 55000, Expected Post-Grad Salary = 85000, Total Tuition = 60000, Program Length (Years) = 2 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate 10-Year ROI
    10-Year ROI
    48.2 = 48.2%
  3. Calculate Annual Earnings Premium
    Annual Earnings Premium
    30000 = $30,000
  4. Calculate Break-Even Point
    6 = 6

Engine last updated .

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