Answers about WorthDegree's ROI reports, data sources, and what makes us different.
WorthDegree is a college ROI tool that goes one step further than calculators. Other tools calculate numbers and stop. We add the judgment layer: what the numbers mean for your family's situation, what the worst-case scenario looks like, and which of three routes (4-year, community college transfer, or certificate/apprenticeship) gives you the best shot at a real return.
DegreeCalc offers 21 free calculators — excellent for raw numbers. Niche offers school reviews and rankings. Neither tells you "is this worth it for your family's budget?" WorthDegree adds:
Route A of the ROI report is free — you see the full cost breakdown, opportunity cost, payback period, and verdict for the 4-year path. The free cost calculator, loan calculator, and major comparison tool are completely free with no sign-up.
Unlocking Routes B and C (community college transfer + certificate/apprenticeship comparison) is $29 one-time. This is how we keep the tool running without ads or selling your data.
Our formulas use standard financial math (loan amortization, opportunity cost with a 0.65 part-time offset factor). Data comes from official government sources: College Scorecard (latest available), BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, College Board annual pricing, and Federal Student Aid loan rates. Earnings data is typically 2+ years lagged. Results are estimates for decision-making, not guarantees — individual outcomes vary significantly.
Every number in our reports is sourced from publicly available government data:
Click any number in a report to see its source. Data quality is labeled: official (directly reported), estimated (filled from similar schools when official data is suppressed for privacy).
No. All calculations run in your browser. We don't have an account system, we don't store your inputs, and we don't track what you calculate. The only data we receive is standard web request metadata (IP, user agent, page requested). See our Privacy Policy.
Opportunity cost is the income you don't earn while you're studying full-time. If you spend 4 years in college, you give up roughly 4 years of wages — about $121,545 at a high school graduate's median income, adjusted for part-time work (0.65 factor).
This is the number no college brochure prints. But it's real money — and it's why a $90,000 degree actually costs $211,000. Including opportunity cost is what makes our payback calculations honest.
Because "college" isn't one thing — it's at least three different financial decisions:
For nursing specifically, Routes A and C lead to the same RN license — the BSN premium is bridgeable later, often on hospital tuition money. The right choice depends on your family's ability to absorb lean years, not on which path "sounds better."
We estimate the 25th percentile outcome — roughly what the bottom 30% of graduates experience. If the median starting salary is $60,000, the worst case is about $42,000 (70% of median), and the payback period stretches by ~50%.
This isn't pessimism — it's honest stress testing. People naturally overestimate their own outcomes. Decisions that survive the worst-case test are decisions you won't regret.
Toggle "International Student Mode" in the report page. Three things change:
This is the analysis no recruitment agent will give you — they have a commission incentive to say "it's worth it." We don't sell admissions; we sell the math.
One way: the $29 full ROI report. No display ads, no school recruitment leads, no loan referrals, no sponsored placements — ever. We go one step further than DegreeCalc (which we respect, but which accepts contextual ads): no ads at all.
Why? Because our product is neutral math. The moment you suspect a report nudges you toward a commission-earning school or product, the trust collapses. See Privacy Policy → How We Make Money for the full disclosure.
No. WorthDegree provides estimates based on publicly available historical data. It is not financial, legal, or immigration advice. Major decisions should consider factors beyond ROI — including personal interests, family circumstances, and professional guidance from qualified advisors. See our Terms and Disclaimer.
College Scorecard data is refreshed annually (typically with a 2-year lag). BLS wage and employment data updates annually. Federal loan rates are set each academic year. We re-pull data and re-validate our pipeline when new releases are published. Each report displays the data year for transparency.
Yes — every report and calculator page has a share bar at the bottom. You can share via X (Twitter), Facebook, Email, or copy a direct link. The share text includes key numbers (payback years, total cost) so the recipient sees the headline without clicking.