Skip to content

Private nonprofit · 4-year

Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo, Michigan

34
F
DR Rating
DegreeReturn Rating — Poor value

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

Poor return
$-15,461 over 10 years

Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.

On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.

12.2 yrs
Break-even
-18%
10-year ROI
$52,033
Median earnings as of 2024
79% of Kalamazoo 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

$19,072
Average net price / yr as of 2024
$52,033
Median earnings (5 yr) as of 2024
$27,697
Median earnings (1 yr) as of 2024
$26,077
Median debt at graduation as of 2024
76%
Graduation rate as of 2024
79%
Earn more than a HS grad as of 2024
86%
Repaying their loans (3 yr) as of 2024
85%
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.

$-15,461
After 10 years
$54,869
After 20 years
$125,199
After 30 years
$195,529
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 gender
Women
$60,459
Men
$77,124

22% gap between the two groups

By family-income background
From lower-income families
$67,501
From higher-income families
$66,827

1% gap between the two groups

14%
First-generation students
45%
Take federal student loans
92%
Born in the U.S.
Who studies here
White 62%Hispanic 17%Asian 3%Black 6%Other 12%

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$12,019
$30k–$48k$11,804
$48k–$75k$15,337
$75k–$110k$24,412
$110k+$28,672

How Kalamazoo College compares

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

Graduate earnings over time

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

Advertisement

Best-paying majors at Kalamazoo 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
ChemistryAssociate's$81,184$27,000+654%Strong return
Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's$76,081$26,000+553%Strong return
Psychology, GeneralAssociate's$53,202$24,650+74%Strong return
Social Sciences, OtherAssociate's$50,863$24,821+24%Break-even
Biology, GeneralAssociate's$49,067$26,750-15%Poor return
English Language and Literature, GeneralAssociate's$48,592$25,456-24%Poor return

Calculate your own ROI

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

ROI at Kalamazoo 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

Advertisement

Admissions & profile

75%
Admission rate
1,280
Average SAT
27
Median ACT
1,149
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.

More colleges in Michigan