10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$773,386at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
⌖ Cambridge, MA · 21 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
MODELED SCENARIO · Strong payoff
+$773,386 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
Observed earnings clearly outpace the comparison earnings and estimated education cost in this scenario.
2.5 yrsModeled economic break-even
+297%Modeled 10-year ROI
$148,383Observed earnings · year 5
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.
Cost, completion and earnings context
$20,111Average net price / year
$82,730Cost of attendance
$148,383Median earnings · year 5 after completion
96.4%Completion rate
4.5%Admission rate
4,535Student size
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$109,923Year 1
$161,961Year 4
$148,383Year 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.
1Business/Commerce, General · Master's Degree$258,1522Systems Engineering · Master's Degree$227,0523Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$225,1414Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Doctoral Degree$214,0705Mechanical Engineering · Master's Degree$200,7326Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Master's Degree$199,2457Biology, General · Doctoral Degree$189,1448Chemical Engineering · Doctoral Degree$184,436Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
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.
Cambridge, MA
Harvard University
- Annual net price
- $19,066
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $124,581
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +211%
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
- Annual net price
- $25,171
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $112,565
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +141%
Babson College
- Annual net price
- $40,514
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $113,760
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +101%
Bentley University
- Annual net price
- $37,930
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $105,451
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +82%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business/Commerce, General | Master's Degree | $258,152 | Not available |
| Systems Engineering | Master's Degree | $227,052 | Not available |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $225,141 | $12,000 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Doctoral Degree | $214,070 | Not available |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $200,732 | Not available |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Master's Degree | $199,245 | Not available |
| Biology, General | Doctoral Degree | $189,144 | Not available |
| Chemical Engineering | Doctoral Degree | $184,436 | Not available |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $174,951 | $10,003 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Doctoral Degree | $167,374 | Not available |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $161,118 | $11,935 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Master's Degree | $151,237 | Not available |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $147,998 | $11,935 |
| Chemistry | Doctoral Degree | $137,404 | Not available |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $131,967 | $11,334 |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $131,025 | $18,500 |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $122,093 | $15,209 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $114,620 | $17,724 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $111,738 | $13,000 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | Master's Degree | $100,130 | Not available |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Master's Degree | $87,003 | Not available |
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.