College is the second-biggest purchase of a lifetime. You deserve a price tag — and a payoff.
Degree Return exists to answer one honest question before the tuition is paid: is this degree worth it?
The problem
Families are asked to commit tens of thousands of dollars — often borrowed — to a decision sold almost entirely on glossy brochures, campus vibes and rankings that measure prestige, not payoff. The one thing nobody put in front of you was the number that actually matters: after you graduate, what will you earn, and how long until the degree pays for itself?
For years that answer was genuinely unknowable. It isn’t anymore.
What changed
The U.S. Department of Education now publishes the College Scorecard — and crucially, its earnings figures aren’t surveys or self-reports. They’re derived by linking federal student records to actual IRS tax records. For the first time, we can see what graduates of a specific major at a specific college really earn, against what that education really costs.
Degree Return gathers that public data for roughly 6,000 institutions and turns it into a single, honest verdict per college and per major.
What we do
Show the real cost
Net price after grants — not the sticker price — plus the median debt graduates actually carry.
Show the real earnings
IRS-linked median earnings 1 and 5 years after graduating, by college and by major.
Compute the verdict
A transparent ROI formula gives every degree a green / amber / red verdict and a break-even year.
Our principles
Sourced & dated
Every figure carries its source and data year. If federal data is missing, we say so — we never invent an ROI.
On your side
We’re not a college, a lender, or a ranking that sells placement. No school can pay to change a number.
Transparent math
Our methodology shows the exact formula and every assumption. The calculator runs in your browser.
Start with one honest number
Look up a college or major, or run your own numbers in the ROI calculator.
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Questions or a correction? Contact us.