University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney, Nebraska
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.
18% gap between the two groups
15% gap between the two groups
2% 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 | $13,066 |
| $30k–$48k | $13,350 |
| $48k–$75k | $14,547 |
| $75k–$110k | $16,703 |
| $110k+ | $20,664 |
How University of Nebraska at Kearney compares
This college against the Nebraska and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of University of Nebraska at Kearney students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
Best-paying majors at University of Nebraska at Kearney
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's | $71,637 | $18,199 | +581% | Strong return |
| Agricultural Business and Management | Associate's | $62,723 | — | +446% | Strong return |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Certificate | $77,134 | $26,250 | +331% | Strong return |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's | $58,876 | $24,989 | +234% | Strong return |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | Associate's | $58,149 | $21,000 | +228% | Strong return |
| Biology, General | Associate's | $55,896 | $18,900 | +177% | Strong return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Certificate | $63,591 | $17,210 | +161% | Strong return |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Professional | $61,810 | — | +159% | Strong return |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Certificate | $64,976 | $35,182 | +157% | Strong return |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Certificate | $63,624 | $25,237 | +151% | Strong return |
| History | Associate's | $52,940 | — | +144% | Strong return |
| History | Certificate | $62,954 | $26,307 | +141% | Strong return |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Certificate | $60,832 | $16,150 | +123% | Strong return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Certificate | $59,341 | — | +121% | Strong return |
| Biology, General | Certificate | $61,239 | $32,000 | +112% | Strong return |
| Psychology, General | Associate's | $53,289 | $21,300 | +106% | Strong return |
| Special Education and Teaching | Certificate | $58,907 | $14,388 | +98% | Strong return |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Associate's | $52,815 | $21,970 | +93% | Strong return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Associate's | $51,268 | $19,113 | +59% | Break-even |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Associate's | $50,597 | $22,541 | +38% | Break-even |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's | $49,731 | $19,250 | +20% | Break-even |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | Certificate | $53,439 | $38,500 | +7% | Break-even |
| Music | Associate's | $48,195 | — | -2% | Poor return |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Associate's | $47,989 | — | -8% | Poor return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's | $44,982 | $20,000 | -101% | Poor return |
Calculate your own ROI
Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.
ROI at University of Nebraska at Kearney
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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