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Private nonprofit · 4-year

Wabash College

Crawfordsville, Indiana

41
D
DR Rating
DegreeReturn Rating — Weak value

A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.

Break-even
+$44,987 over 10 years

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.

7 yrs
Break-even
+42%
10-year ROI
$60,217
Median earnings as of 2024
85% of Wabash College students earn more than a typical U.S. high-school graduate (about $28,000/yr) ten years after starting — measured from IRS tax records, not surveys.

The numbers behind the verdict

$24,336
Average net price / yr as of 2024
$60,217
Median earnings (5 yr) as of 2024
$39,138
Median earnings (1 yr) as of 2024
$27,000
Median debt at graduation as of 2024
77%
Graduation rate as of 2024
85%
Earn more than a HS grad as of 2024
79%
Repaying their loans (3 yr) as of 2024
93%
Retention rate as of 2024

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.

$44,987
After 10 years
$197,157
After 20 years
$349,327
After 30 years
$501,497
After 40 years

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.

By family-income background
From lower-income families
$59,806
From higher-income families
$75,833

21% gap between the two groups

First-generation students
62%
Take federal student loans
95%
Born in the U.S.
Who studies here
White 71%Hispanic 14%Asian 1%Black 4%Other 10%

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 incomeAverage net price / yr
Family income $0–$30k$16,586
$30k–$48k$13,526
$48k–$75k$18,175
$75k–$110k$18,681
$110k+$30,511

How Wabash College compares

This college against the Indiana and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.

Graduate earnings over time

Median earnings of Wabash College students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.

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Best-paying majors at Wabash 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.

MajorCredentialEarnings (5 yr)Median debt10-yr ROIVerdict
EconomicsAssociate's$79,447$27,000+489%Strong return
Political Science and GovernmentAssociate's$72,527$27,000+371%Strong return
Psychology, GeneralAssociate's$59,688+202%Strong return
HistoryAssociate's$60,746$27,000+169%Strong return
Biology, GeneralAssociate's$59,193$27,000+143%Strong return
English Language and Literature, GeneralAssociate's$47,056$27,000-65%Poor return

Calculate your own ROI

Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.

ROI at Wabash College

Or pick your to set cost

Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.

10-yr net gain
Break-even
10-yr ROI

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Admissions & profile

63%
Admission rate
1,180
Average SAT
26
Median ACT
866
Undergraduates

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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