How CollegeLens builds the Program ROI Score

Program ROI Score is a directional graduate-school metric. It compares total program cost with a field-aware post-grad earnings baseline, then estimates whether the likely monthly payment still looks workable in the early repayment years.

The numerator starts with tuition and required cost assumptions, then subtracts employer reimbursement, assistantship offsets, and personal cash inputs where available. The federal-first borrowing path is used as the default comparison case: Direct Unsubsidized up to the annual and aggregate caps, which since July 1, 2026 are $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total for most graduate programs and $50,000 a year and $200,000 for professional programs, with private borrowing covering the remainder. Grad PLUS is modeled only for students grandfathered under the transition rule: they held a graduate federal loan for the same program in 2025-26 and have stayed continuously enrolled in it.

The salary denominator uses field-based median earnings and can be refined by industry track. That means an MBA borrower can pressure-test finance, consulting, or tech paths without pretending those outcomes all carry the same compensation profile.

Program ROI Score is not a promise of earnings or admission outcomes. It is a decision aid that helps you compare graduate options using a consistent set of assumptions before you commit to a borrowing path.