10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$198,104at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
Arcata, CA · 39 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 36 · Federal debt reported for 29
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$198,104 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
67.3 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−85%Estimated return after 10 years
$48,458Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
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.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $14,432 housing and food allowance plus $4,332 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
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−$145,420
$8,000Annual price−$177,420
$13,000Current college-wide context−$197,420
$16,000Annual price−$209,420
$24,000Annual price−$241,420
$32,000Annual price−$273,420
$40,000Annual price−$305,420
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students take at least some classes online.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Town
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in California run 11% above the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$13,171Average net price / year
$25,170Cost of attendance
$18,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$191/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,458Median earnings · year 5 after completion
48.5%Completion rate
98.2%Admission rate
5,612Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
What does California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt cost?
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt reports an average annual net price of $13,171 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $48,458 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $18,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt worth the same?
No. The current release contains 39 field-and-degree records for California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt; 36 report year-4 earnings and 29 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
6,750Students enrolled at any point
6,104Undergraduate students
646Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
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
61% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
279 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
53% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$45,504Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$46,695Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$51,064Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income53%
Middle income60%
Higher income64%
Undergraduate student composition
White52%
Black3%
Hispanic29%
Asian3%
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 every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$30,678Year 1
$51,571Year 4
$48,458Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Forestry · Bachelor's Degree$79,8492Psychology, General · Master's Degree$79,4293Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$78,2254Natural Resources Conservation and Research · Master's Degree$77,7855Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$74,6206Social Work · Master's Degree$74,2537Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · Master's Degree$72,1628Economics · Bachelor's Degree$61,175Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
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.
1ForestryBachelor's Degree · $79,849 reported+36%vs same-degree national median$22,173federal debt2Psychology, GeneralMaster's Degree · $79,429 reported+23%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessMaster's Degree · $72,162 reported+16%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Social WorkMaster's Degree · $74,253 reported+14%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Social WorkBachelor's Degree · $57,953 reported+12%vs same-degree national median$23,286federal debt6Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and ManagementBachelor's Degree · $50,525 reported+7%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in CA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Oakland, CA
Merritt College
- Annual net price
- $14,021
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,791
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -88%
Los Angeles Harbor College
- Annual net price
- $13,250
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,870
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -92%
Lassen Community College
- Annual net price
- $12,517
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,367
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -90%
Compton College
- Annual net price
- $12,647
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,489
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -94%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 39 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry | Bachelor's Degree | $79,849 | $22,173 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Master's Degree | $79,429 | Not available | Not reported |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $78,225 | $24,350 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Master's Degree | $77,785 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $74,620 | $17,750 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $74,253 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Master's Degree | $72,162 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $61,175 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $60,005 | $16,000 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $57,953 | $23,286 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $55,707 | $20,200 | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $55,222 | $20,113 | Not reported |
| Criminology | Bachelor's Degree | $55,174 | $16,849 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification) | $53,722 | Not available | Not reported |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $53,371 | $20,526 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $50,915 | $15,500 | 0 |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $50,579 | $24,000 | Not reported |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $50,525 | Not available | Not reported |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $49,706 | $18,196 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $48,143 | $16,458 | Not reported |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $47,003 | $22,500 | Not reported |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $46,245 | $23,162 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $45,995 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $45,889 | $16,200 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $43,310 | $17,000 | Not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $43,064 | $15,533 | 0 |
| Botany/Plant Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $42,743 | Not available | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $42,119 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $42,049 | $16,000 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $41,994 | $19,159 | Not reported |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $41,464 | $18,150 | Not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $41,105 | $16,500 | Not reported |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $40,566 | Not available | Not reported |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $39,178 | $22,300 | Not reported |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $38,495 | $20,690 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $34,812 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $19,083 | Not reported |
| Geography and Cartography | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $17,412 | Not reported |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $23,164 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
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.