10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$77,986at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT · 38 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 37 · Federal debt reported for 19
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$77,986 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
12.7 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−21%Estimated return after 10 years
$73,671Observed earnings · year 5
$26,678Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark would need to fall by $19,497 per year to reach it.
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: $14,300 housing and food allowance plus $3,150 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+$106,710
$14,000Annual price+$50,710
$28,000Annual price−$5,290
$42,000Annual price−$61,290
$46,000Current college-wide context−$77,290
$56,000Annual price−$117,290
$70,000Annual price−$173,290
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
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
- New England Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
238 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Connecticut run 4% 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
$46,174Average net price / year
$69,289Cost of attendance
$25,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$265/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$73,671Median earnings · year 5 after completion
73.5%Completion rate
65.4%Admission rate
7,087Student 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 Sacred Heart University
What does Sacred Heart University cost?
Sacred Heart University reports an average annual net price of $46,174 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Sacred Heart University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $73,671 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Sacred Heart University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $25,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Sacred Heart University worth the same?
No. The current release contains 38 field-and-degree records for Sacred Heart University; 37 report year-4 earnings and 19 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
12,206Students enrolled at any point
7,812Undergraduate students
4,394Graduate 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
59% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
714 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
68% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$69,916Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$74,929Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$77,356Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income60%
Middle income69%
Higher income81%
Undergraduate student composition
White75%
Black3%
Hispanic14%
Asian2%
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.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$78,068Year 1
$119,554Year 5
$147,946Year 10
Computer Programming.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$64,889Year 1
$110,315Year 5
$140,627Year 10
Computer Programming.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$57,248Year 1
$86,929Year 5
$134,767Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$50,129Year 1
$91,987Year 5
$126,300Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$51,821Year 1
$85,561Year 5
$114,628Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 51
$98,422Year 1
$115,236Year 5
$109,723Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Doctoral, professional practice · Broad federal field 51
$85,254Year 1
$99,772Year 5
$104,531Year 10
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 26
$34,252Year 1
$83,838Year 5
$98,926Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
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
$56,028Year 1
$79,431Year 4
$73,671Year 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.
1Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions · Master's Degree$145,9642Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$125,9043Accounting and Related Services · Master's Degree$117,4574Security Science and Technology · Master's Degree$113,1995Human Resources Management and Services · Master's Degree$109,5456Educational Administration and Supervision · Graduate/Professional Certificate$103,9987Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$103,2448Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$100,796Observed 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.
1Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's Degree · $61,998 reported+50%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Security Science and TechnologyMaster's Degree · $113,199 reported+37%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Human Resources Management and ServicesMaster's Degree · $109,545 reported+31%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree · $68,092 reported+28%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt5Psychology, OtherMaster's Degree · $78,644 reported+27%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $72,404 reported+27%vs same-degree national median$23,250federal debt
Comparable colleges in CT
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.
Hamden, CT
Quinnipiac University
- Annual net price
- $40,675
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $79,421
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +0%
Fairfield University
- Annual net price
- $48,095
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $88,011
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +16%
Wesleyan University
- Annual net price
- $30,177
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $73,142
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -6%
Connecticut College
- Annual net price
- $36,175
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $66,752
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -33%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 38 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Master's Degree | $145,964 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $125,904 | Not available | 9 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $117,457 | Not available | Not reported |
| Security Science and Technology | Master's Degree | $113,199 | Not available | Not reported |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Master's Degree | $109,545 | Not available | Not reported |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $103,998 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $103,244 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $100,796 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $94,733 | $27,000 | 0 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $93,380 | $31,400 | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $93,209 | $26,908 | 0 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $91,777 | $27,000 | 1 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | First Professional Degree | $85,946 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $80,970 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Master's Degree | $80,626 | Not available | 10 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Master's Degree | $80,320 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's Degree | $79,048 | $19,625 | Not reported |
| Psychology, Other | Master's Degree | $78,644 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $76,507 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $74,883 | $25,000 | 0 |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $73,514 | $26,434 | 1 |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $72,404 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Master's Degree | $71,882 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | Master's Degree | $71,686 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $68,092 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Master's Degree | $66,974 | Not available | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $65,879 | $20,750 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $61,998 | Not available | Not reported |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | Master's Degree | $61,642 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $61,373 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $59,601 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $59,068 | $26,399 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $59,036 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $58,384 | $26,950 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $55,710 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $55,399 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $54,183 | Not available | Not reported |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $26,831 | 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.