10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$26,618at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Amherst, MA · 66 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 65 · Federal debt reported for 45
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$26,618 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
9.1 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+10%Estimated return after 10 years
$74,615Observed earnings · year 5
$29,038Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $6,655 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: $16,710 housing and food allowance plus $1,440 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+$116,150
$8,000Annual price+$84,150
$16,000Annual price+$52,150
$22,000Current college-wide context+$28,150
$24,000Annual price+$20,150
$32,000Annual price−$11,850
$40,000Annual price−$43,850
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
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- Land-grant institution
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
611 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 Massachusetts run 6% 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
$22,383Average net price / year
$34,549Cost of attendance
$22,763Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$241/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$74,615Median earnings · year 5 after completion
83.3%Completion rate
59.7%Admission rate
1,423Average SAT score
31ACT midpoint
23,671Student 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 University of Massachusetts-Amherst
What does University of Massachusetts-Amherst cost?
University of Massachusetts-Amherst reports an average annual net price of $22,383 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do University of Massachusetts-Amherst graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $74,615 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do University of Massachusetts-Amherst graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $22,763. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at University of Massachusetts-Amherst worth the same?
No. The current release contains 66 field-and-degree records for University of Massachusetts-Amherst; 65 report year-4 earnings and 45 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
36,658Students enrolled at any point
27,561Undergraduate students
9,097Graduate 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
76% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
1,286 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
72% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$69,151Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$65,650Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$74,369Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income69%
Middle income77%
Higher income82%
Undergraduate student composition
White57%
Black5%
Hispanic9%
Asian14%
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
Computer Programming.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$96,073Year 1
$142,537Year 5
$159,257Year 10
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 14
$77,414Year 1
$101,225Year 5
$126,158Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$65,944Year 1
$97,865Year 5
$113,733Year 10
Applied Mathematics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 27
$55,464Year 1
$86,799Year 5
$106,611Year 10
Outdoor Education.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 31
$49,054Year 1
$75,565Year 5
$104,510Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$52,636Year 1
$74,301Year 5
$99,629Year 10
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 26
$41,224Year 1
$76,620Year 5
$98,778Year 10
Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 46
$63,723Year 1
$94,389Year 5
$97,751Year 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
$51,780Year 1
$78,620Year 4
$74,615Year 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.
1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$165,4732Computer Science · Master's Degree$154,0993Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Doctoral Degree$126,4534Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$123,5195Computer Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$113,0836Education, General · Doctoral Degree$110,8167Accounting and Related Services · Master's Degree$109,6288Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$101,091Observed 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.
1Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree · $165,473 reported+60%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree · $73,242 reported+38%vs same-degree national median$25,742federal debt3Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree · $92,623 reported+36%vs same-degree national median$22,014federal debt4Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/TechniciansBachelor's Degree · $59,298 reported+34%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt5Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's Degree · $73,238 reported+34%vs same-degree national median$26,227federal debt6Architectural Sciences and TechnologyBachelor's Degree · $93,156 reported+33%vs same-degree national median$23,750federal debt
Comparable colleges in MA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Lowell, MA
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
- Annual net price
- $17,163
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $75,948
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +24%
Greater Lowell Technical School
- Annual net price
- $19,205
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $70,797
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +0%
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
- Annual net price
- $20,927
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $68,294
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -12%
University of Massachusetts-Boston
- Annual net price
- $17,707
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $69,745
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -1%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 66 field-and-degree records. Use the program directory to search the complete set.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $165,473 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Master's Degree | $154,099 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Doctoral Degree | $126,453 | Not available | 28 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $123,519 | $23,569 | Not reported |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $113,083 | $27,000 | 0 |
| Education, General | Doctoral Degree | $110,816 | Not available | 0 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $109,628 | Not available | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $101,091 | $27,000 | 1 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | Master's Degree | $100,729 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $100,516 | $23,250 | 0 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | Master's Degree | $98,155 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $97,990 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $97,791 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $96,999 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $96,995 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | $93,156 | $23,750 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $92,623 | $22,014 | 44 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Master's Degree | $91,064 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $90,309 | $29,548 | 2 |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $88,076 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Master's Degree | $87,779 | Not available | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $86,299 | $23,750 | Not reported |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $84,978 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $83,338 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Public Policy Analysis | Master's Degree | $82,435 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $80,434 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $78,373 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Bachelor's Degree | $77,853 | $25,916 | Not reported |
| Food Science and Technology | Bachelor's Degree | $77,771 | Not available | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Master's Degree | $74,899 | Not available | Not reported |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | Bachelor's Degree | $74,422 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $73,242 | $25,742 | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $73,238 | $26,227 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $72,726 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Physics | Bachelor's Degree | $72,596 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | Bachelor's Degree | $70,916 | $24,385 | Not reported |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $69,269 | $23,000 | Not reported |
| Sustainability Studies | Master's Degree | $68,841 | Not available | Not reported |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $67,432 | Not available | Not reported |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | Bachelor's Degree | $66,642 | $27,000 | 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.
Search every University of Massachusetts-Amherst program record →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.