College ROI vs Debt
College ROI vs Debt Calculator
What this calculator does
Enter your major, total debt, and the salary you would earn without a degree. The calculator estimates years to pay off the debt.
The math, with a worked example
Annual salary premium = estimated starting salary for major − high school grad salary. Years to pay off = total debt ÷ annual premium. An Engineering degree with $50,000 debt and a $35,000 high school wage has about a $35,000 premium, so payoff is about 1.4 years.
Why this matters
The question isn't whether college costs too much — it's how many years of your major's salary premium repay your debt. $50,000 against a $35,000 engineering premium clears in under 2 years; the same debt against a $5,000 premium takes a decade.
Methodology and transparency
Years to pay off = total debt ÷ (starting salary for the major − high school grad salary). That assumes the entire premium goes to the loans — no taxes, no living-cost differences, no raises — so real payoff takes longer than the tool's number. Its value is comparing majors against each other, where the same optimism applies to every option; replace the salary estimates with real offers from your program when you have them. Everything runs in your browser; no data is sent or stored.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-08
Common questions
Are starting salaries accurate?
They are rough static estimates. Actual salaries vary by school, location, and experience.
Should I skip college?
It depends on major, cost, and career goals. High-debt, low-income majors take longer to justify.