How the value grade works.

The core formula

For each school we compute an ROI score as (median earnings 10 years after enrolling × 10) ÷ (average net price × 4). In plain terms: a decade of post-college earnings divided by the four-year out-of-pocket cost. A higher score means more earnings for each dollar paid.

From score to grade

Schools are ranked by ROI score and graded on their percentile: the strongest values earn A+ and A, the middle band B and C, and the weakest payoff-for-price D. Grades are relative to all graded US colleges, so an A+ means a school is among the best values nationwide — not merely “good.”

Net price, not sticker price

We use average net price — tuition, fees, and living costs minus the grants and scholarships students actually receive — rather than the published sticker price. Where available we also show net price broken out by family-income bracket.

Data handling

• Open or non-reporting colleges may not publish a standard acceptance rate in federal data; we show those as open or not reported instead of treating missing data as a precise 100% admit rate.
• Schools missing net price or earnings data can't be graded on value and are excluded.
• Per-major figures. The Scorecard does not publish earnings for each major at each school. On program pages, cost and earnings are school-wide and should be read as a proxy; the program-share percentage is a reported federal program-share signal, not a per-major earnings figure.

Updates & limitations

Data is refreshed as new Scorecard releases are published. Earnings reflect students who received federal aid and are reported with a multi-year lag. The value grade is a model, not a guarantee or a substitute for financial advice — outcomes vary by student, major, and circumstance.