10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$298,720at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Oberlin College
⌖ Oberlin, OH · 14 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$298,720 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.
93.3 yrsModeled economic break-even
−89%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,586Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Oberlin College
What does Oberlin College cost?
Oberlin College reports an average annual net price of $38,645 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Oberlin College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $48,586 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Oberlin College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $26,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Oberlin College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 14 field-and-credential outcomes at Oberlin College; 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−$144,140
$12,000Annual price−$192,140
$24,000Annual price−$240,140
$36,000Annual price−$288,140
$39,000Current college-wide context−$300,140
$48,000Annual price−$336,140
$60,000Annual price−$384,140
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Higher Learning Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Town
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$38,645Average net price / year
$87,404Cost of attendance
$26,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$276/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,586Median earnings · year 5 after completion
80.9%Completion rate
34.2%Admission rate
2,887Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
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
$23,185Year 1
$51,715Year 4
$48,586Year 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 · Bachelor's Degree$129,3952Economics · Bachelor's Degree$87,1203Political Science and Government · Bachelor's Degree$70,6894History · Bachelor's Degree$60,8955Area Studies · Bachelor's Degree$55,1516English Language and Literature, General · Bachelor's Degree$49,9067Psychology, General · Bachelor's Degree$48,1098Natural Resources Conservation and Research · Bachelor's Degree$46,580Observed 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.
1Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $129,395 reported+40%vs same-degree national median$26,500federal debt2HistoryBachelor's Degree · $60,895 reported+20%vs same-degree national median$26,050federal debt3Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree · $70,689 reported+12%vs same-degree national median$24,314federal debt4Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree · $44,299 reported+7%vs same-degree national median$20,500federal debt5EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $87,120 reported+5%vs same-degree national median$25,000federal debt6English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $49,906 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$26,000federal debt
Comparable colleges in OH
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.
Gambier, OH
Kenyon College
- Annual net price
- $38,512
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $54,810
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -71%
Defiance College
- Annual net price
- $26,337
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,809
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -94%
Denison University
- Annual net price
- $40,007
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $61,795
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -51%
Franciscan University of Steubenville
- Annual net price
- $23,589
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $49,632
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -83%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $129,395 | $26,500 | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $87,120 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $70,689 | $24,314 | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $60,895 | $26,050 | Not reported |
| Area Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $55,151 | $24,951 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,906 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $48,109 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $46,580 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $44,299 | $20,500 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $44,095 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $43,343 | $26,200 | 6 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $26,487 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $22,625 | Not reported |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $25,500 | 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.