10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$123,280at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA · No degree-level outcomes reported
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$123,280 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
6.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+52%Estimated return after 10 years
$80,832Observed earnings · year 5
$44,580Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $30,820 per year below this threshold.
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: $22,086 housing and food allowance plus $3,930 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+$178,320
$14,000Current college-wide context+$122,320
$28,000Annual price+$66,320
$42,000Annual price+$10,320
$56,000Annual price−$45,680
$70,000Annual price−$101,680
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
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
320 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 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
$13,760Average net price / year
$26,593Cost of attendance
$15,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$159/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$80,832Median earnings · year 5 after completion
69.2%Completion rate
84.6%Admission rate
27,601Student 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 San Jose State University
What does San Jose State University cost?
San Jose State University reports an average annual net price of $13,760 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do San Jose State University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $80,832 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do San Jose State University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $15,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at San Jose State University worth the same?
The current release does not contain reportable degree outcomes for San Jose State University, so this page cannot compare its individual degrees.
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
42,319Students enrolled at any point
30,873Undergraduate students
11,446Graduate 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
78% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
1,412 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
73% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$77,261Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$81,483Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$81,124Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income72%
Middle income76%
Higher income76%
Undergraduate student composition
White12%
Black4%
Hispanic33%
Asian39%
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.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$58,993Year 1
$89,614Year 4
$80,832Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
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.
Los Angeles, CA
University of California, Los Angeles
- Annual net price
- $12,548
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $77,498
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +41%
University of California, San Diego
- Annual net price
- $12,470
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $84,593
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +72%
University of California, Davis
- Annual net price
- $14,741
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $75,091
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +26%
Foothill College
- Annual net price
- $7,653
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $78,860
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +61%
No degree-level outcomes are currently reportable.
This college remains in the national directory because it appears in the College Scorecard. Degree outcomes may be unavailable, privacy-suppressed or outside the reported cohorts.
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.