10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$7,154at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Brandeis University
⌖ Waltham, MA · 25 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$7,154 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.
10.2 yrsModeled economic break-even
−2%Modeled 10-year ROI
$76,579Observed earnings · year 5
$33,948Maximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
The price benchmark would need to fall by $1,789 per year to reach it.
Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate itWhat the numbers say about Brandeis University
What does Brandeis University cost?
Brandeis University reports an average annual net price of $35,736 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Brandeis University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $76,579 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Brandeis University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $25,648. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Brandeis University worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 25 field-and-credential outcomes at Brandeis University; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
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.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$135,790
$10,000Annual price+$95,790
$20,000Annual price+$55,790
$30,000Annual price+$15,790
$36,000Current college-wide context−$8,210
$40,000Annual price−$24,210
$50,000Annual price−$64,210
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- New England Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$35,736Average net price / year
$86,448Cost of attendance
$25,648Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$272/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$76,579Median earnings · year 5 after completion
86.0%Completion rate
40.5%Admission rate
3,618Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
85% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
164 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
78% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$74,275Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$76,361Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$79,861Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income74%
Middle income80%
Higher income87%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
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
$44,493Year 1
$76,742Year 4
$76,579Year 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 · Master's Degree$159,1372Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$123,4603Business/Commerce, General · Bachelor's Degree$108,4054Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$102,8435Economics · Bachelor's Degree$95,8726Economics · Master's Degree$87,3547Mathematics · Bachelor's Degree$85,6818Public Policy Analysis · Master's Degree$79,908Observed 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.
1Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $108,405 reported+58%vs same-degree national median$26,000federal debt2Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and ServicesBachelor's Degree · $78,746 reported+58%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's Degree · $58,676 reported+48%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group StudiesBachelor's Degree · $73,256 reported+42%vs same-degree national median$24,226federal debt5Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's Degree · $73,936 reported+34%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $62,291 reported+28%vs same-degree national median$26,000federal debt
Comparable colleges in MA
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.
Milton, MA
Laboure College of Healthcare
- Annual net price
- $36,863
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $83,261
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +17%
Anna Maria College
- Annual net price
- $28,333
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $75,529
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +4%
College of the Holy Cross
- Annual net price
- $38,782
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $82,319
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +11%
Stonehill College
- Annual net price
- $33,016
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $69,740
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -21%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Master's Degree | $159,137 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $123,460 | $26,142 | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Bachelor's Degree | $108,405 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $102,843 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $95,872 | $25,295 | Not reported |
| Economics | Master's Degree | $87,354 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $85,681 | $26,559 | Not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $79,908 | Not available | Not reported |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | Bachelor's Degree | $78,746 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | Bachelor's Degree | $75,580 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $74,018 | $23,333 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $73,936 | Not available | Not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $73,256 | $24,226 | Not reported |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $68,179 | $26,499 | Not reported |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $67,838 | $26,787 | Not reported |
| International/Globalization Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $66,366 | $25,694 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $65,481 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $62,291 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $59,426 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's Degree | $58,676 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $58,384 | $25,484 | Not reported |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $57,423 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Area Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $54,306 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $25,484 | 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.