Whittier College
Whittier, California
A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.
Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.
The payoff is roughly break-even — the degree recovers its cost, but slowly.
The numbers behind the verdict
Lifetime ROI: the long view
Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.
Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.
Equity & access
Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.
11% gap between the two groups
6% gap between the two groups
24% gap between the two groups
Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.
Net price by family income
What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.
| Family income | Average net price / yr |
|---|---|
| Family income $0–$30k | $21,718 |
| $30k–$48k | $19,928 |
| $48k–$75k | $24,973 |
| $75k–$110k | $26,718 |
| $110k+ | $30,599 |
How Whittier College compares
This college against the California and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of Whittier College students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
Best-paying majors at Whittier College
Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.
| Major | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political Science and Government | Associate's | $63,587 | — | +261% | Strong return |
| Sociology | Associate's | $60,980 | — | +210% | Strong return |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's | $61,761 | $24,000 | +178% | Strong return |
| Education, General | Certificate | $75,643 | $37,098 | +163% | Strong return |
| Law | Doctoral | $93,045 | $227,419 | +158% | Strong return |
| Biology, General | Associate's | $56,770 | $25,000 | +94% | Strong return |
| Psychology, General | Associate's | $49,534 | $21,500 | -24% | Poor return |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Associate's | $45,651 | $25,750 | -89% | Poor return |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Associate's | $45,155 | $25,497 | -98% | Poor return |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Associate's | $40,976 | — | -178% | Poor return |
| English Language and Literature, General | Associate's | $32,702 | $24,125 | -304% | Poor return |
Calculate your own ROI
Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.
ROI at Whittier College
Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.
Admissions & profile
Location
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
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