10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$228,286at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO · 38 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 35 · Federal debt reported for 18
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$228,286 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
5.4 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+85%Estimated return after 10 years
$94,543Observed earnings · year 5
$78,858Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $57,072 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: $21,854 housing and food allowance plus $3,575 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+$315,430
$20,000Annual price+$235,430
$22,000Current college-wide context+$227,430
$40,000Annual price+$155,430
$60,000Annual price+$75,430
$80,000Annual price−$4,570
$100,000Annual price−$84,570
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students study without distance-education courses.
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
- Higher Learning Commission
- 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
246 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 Missouri run 9% below 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
$21,786Average net price / year
$88,488Cost of attendance
$17,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$186/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$94,543Median earnings · year 5 after completion
94.3%Completion rate
12.1%Admission rate
1,530Average SAT score
34ACT midpoint
7,857Student 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 Washington University in St Louis
What does Washington University in St Louis cost?
Washington University in St Louis reports an average annual net price of $21,786 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Washington University in St Louis graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $94,543 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Washington University in St Louis graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $17,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Washington University in St Louis worth the same?
No. The current release contains 38 field-and-degree records for Washington University in St Louis; 35 report year-4 earnings and 18 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
17,558Students enrolled at any point
8,979Undergraduate students
8,579Graduate 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
91% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
92 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
70% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$74,228Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$85,695Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$88,237Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income69%
Middle income84%
Higher income93%
Undergraduate student composition
White40%
Black9%
Hispanic13%
Asian21%
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.
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
$57,622Year 1
$95,899Year 4
$94,543Year 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.
1Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies · Master's Degree$229,4592Finance and Financial Management Services · Bachelor's Degree$185,5513Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$177,0664Computer Science · Master's Degree$167,9755Finance and Financial Management Services · Master's Degree$165,0876Business/Managerial Economics · Bachelor's Degree$162,3557Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management · Master's Degree$160,4198Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$153,933Observed 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.
1Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree · $185,551 reported+123%vs same-degree national median$19,250federal debt2Business/Managerial EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $162,355 reported+108%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $91,787 reported+81%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree · $177,066 reported+65%vs same-degree national median$15,500federal debt5AnthropologyBachelor's Degree · $71,018 reported+52%vs same-degree national median$15,000federal debt6Finance and Financial Management ServicesMaster's Degree · $165,087 reported+49%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in MO
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.
Saint Louis, MO
Saint Louis University
- Annual net price
- $24,398
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $71,900
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -3%
Maryville University of Saint Louis
- Annual net price
- $22,066
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $68,337
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -13%
Rockhurst University
- Annual net price
- $25,884
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $69,000
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -15%
Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Annual net price
- $19,390
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $65,625
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -20%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | Master's Degree | $229,459 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $185,551 | $19,250 | 0 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $177,066 | $15,500 | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Master's Degree | $167,975 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Master's Degree | $165,087 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business/Managerial Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $162,355 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Master's Degree | $160,419 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $153,933 | Not available | Not reported |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $141,243 | Not available | Not reported |
| Systems Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $119,297 | $20,500 | 5 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | Master's Degree | $118,193 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $115,029 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $107,843 | $19,500 | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $102,439 | $14,110 | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $100,489 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $98,497 | $18,700 | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $95,965 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $91,787 | Not available | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $90,778 | $18,500 | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | First Professional Degree | $90,497 | Not available | Not reported |
| Medicine | First Professional Degree | $90,449 | Not available | Not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | First Professional Degree | $81,216 | Not available | Not reported |
| Architectural Sciences and Technology | Master's Degree | $80,963 | Not available | Not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Master's Degree | $76,963 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $76,874 | Not available | Not reported |
| Behavioral Sciences | Master's Degree | $75,887 | Not available | Not reported |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $75,261 | $15,450 | Not reported |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | Master's Degree | $72,301 | Not available | Not reported |
| Anthropology | Bachelor's Degree | $71,018 | $15,000 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $68,359 | $13,500 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Master's Degree | $68,165 | Not available | Not reported |
| Design and Applied Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $67,771 | $19,089 | Not reported |
| Cognitive Science | Bachelor's Degree | $67,212 | $17,500 | Not reported |
| International/Globalization Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $66,498 | $20,250 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $63,805 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $21,250 | Not reported |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $14,000 | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $17,360 | 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.