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Entry № 26 · logged Oct 14, 2026Free, no sign-upMoney · Education

What does the degree really cost — and does it pay back?

The 2025–26 sticker is $25,850 a year at a public four-year college and $60,920 at a private one — but nobody pays the sticker, and nobody earns the average. Post your numbers and this ledger prices the degree’s true four-year cost, the loan payment, and the year your earnings break even against the no-degree path.

Prefilled for a public in-state degree in engineering: $108,200 net over four years, $1,116 a month on the loan, and it breaks even in year 7 after graduation.

The tuition account book, Form CC-26. Post the school at the top, the aid and savings in the middle, and the slip posts the true four-year cost — sticker, interest, and the paychecks you skip — against the lifetime premium your major carries.

The school

2025–26 published prices, College Board Trends in College Pricing. Edit the fields below for your school’s actual numbers.

The borrowing
The major

Median lifetime earnings, Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce. The premium is measured against the $1.6M lifetime of a high-school diploma.

The true four-year cost, stamped $144,963 $27,050 net per year · $98,200 borrowed · $1,116/mo for 10 years

The price

What the degree takes out of your pocket.

  • Net price per yearcosts minus grants$27,050
  • Four-year net cost$108,200
  • Total loan interestplus the 1.057% origination fee$35,725
  • Loan payment shareof estimated starting pay12.7%
  • True cost, all in$144,963

The payoff

What the degree puts back, measured against the no-degree path.

  • Earnings premium / yearvs the high-school path$55,000
  • Forgone earnings4 years at the $50,232 HS median$200,928
  • Break-even yearafter graduationYear 7
  • 10-year net gain+$204,109
  • Lifetime premiumCEW median, this major$2,200,000
    The honest read: Breaks even in year 7 after graduation, then runs a $55,000-a-year premium over the high-school path. The degree costs $144,963 all-in; the four working years you skip cost another $200,928 in forgone earnings.
    THE LEDGER BALANCES At $108,200 net with a $55,000-a-year premium, this degree pays for itself in year 7 — then keeps paying for the next three decades. The price and the major agree with each other.

    Figures are estimates for illustration only — not financial advice. Baselines: College Board Trends in College Pricing 2025 (2025–26 published tuition & fees: public in-state $11,950, public out-of-state $31,880, public two-year $4,150, private nonprofit $45,000; housing & food: public four-year $13,900, private $15,920); BLS 2025 median weekly earnings: bachelor’s $1,578, high school $966 (unemployment 2.8% vs 4.3%); Georgetown CEW median lifetime earnings: architecture & engineering $3.8M, computers/statistics/math $3.6M, business $3.0M, bachelor’s average $2.8M, high-school diploma $1.6M; federal Direct undergraduate loan rate 6.52% for 2026–27 (origination fee 1.057%). Break-even assumes graduation; the premium is a median, not a promise.

    Posted at the bottom of the slip

    How much does a year of college cost in 2026?
    The College Board’s 2025 report puts 2025–26 published tuition and fees at $11,950 for public four-year in-state students and $45,000 at private nonprofits. Add housing and food ($13,900 public, $15,920 private) and the full sticker year is $25,850 public in-state and $60,920 private.
    What does a family actually pay after grants and scholarships?
    Much less than the sticker, especially at private colleges. The average private-college student’s net tuition is $16,910 after grant aid, and the net cost of attendance is $37,380 — both per the College Board. Private colleges now return 57% of first-year tuition revenue as institutional grants.
    Is a college degree still worth the money?
    On the medians, yes. Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce puts median lifetime earnings at $2.8M for a bachelor’s degree versus $1.6M for a high-school diploma. The BLS 2025 numbers agree on the direction: $1,578 a week for bachelor’s holders versus $966 for high-school graduates, with unemployment at 2.8% versus 4.3%.
    What is the current federal student loan interest rate?
    6.52% fixed for undergraduate Direct loans disbursed July 2026 through June 2027, up from 6.39% the year before. At 6.52%, every $10,000 borrowed costs about $114 a month for ten years on the standard plan, plus a 1.057% origination fee.
    Which majors pay back the fastest?
    The major moves the break-even more than the school does. In this ledger’s engine, at public in-state prices, engineering ($3.8M lifetime) breaks even in year 7 while the average bachelor’s ($2.8M) breaks even in year 12 — and at private prices with a business major, it stretches to year 16.

    Filed under college money