1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Baker College Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Baker College MI · Medium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #970 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/baker-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/baker-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/baker-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/baker-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/baker-college/similar/) ## Azimuth places Baker College in the 34th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. ### Who it’s a good fit for Baker College is a private nonprofit university in Owosso, Michigan, whose degree mix is led by Health Professions and Business. Affordability is the strongest pillar, well above average, and most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study. Graduates earn less than the model predicts for students like them. The model attributes the gap to a remainder it does not explain, which subtracts, while the factors it measures adds to expected earnings. Return is modestly below average. What families in the lowest income band pay sits below the published cost, and families in the highest band pay more than those in the lowest. Pell students complete at a rate below the cohort as a whole, and mobility is below the levels seen at many peers. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are much smaller. Computer Science graduates earn the highest median, from a fraction of the degrees awarded in Nursing. ## Baker College at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 81.9% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 35.8% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $53,754 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $12,546 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $25,000 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $9,540 ## Baker College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Baker College is a private nonprofit university in Owosso, Michigan, enrolling 3,026 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the lower third of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (34th percentile). The shape is a broad-access private campus where affordability is the strongest pillar and mobility the weakest, with access and return sitting between them. The university admits 81.9% of applicants, a rate above the 71.2% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 66.1% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.4%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 35.8%, compared to a peer median of 68.8%. An estimated 69.7% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes a minority of the student body. Affordability is the strongest pillar, with access and return below it and mobility the weakest of the four. The pillars sit far apart, with affordability well above the rest. Affordability is the clearest positive in Baker College’s Azimuth profile, even as mobility is a pronounced weakness. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places affordability in the 76th percentile, the university’s strongest pillar, and access in the 61st percentile. Return stands in the 35th percentile. Mobility, the weakest pillar, is in the 1st percentile. The profile is strongest on cost and access rather than mobility or return. The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores at Baker College ran from 960 to 1,160, the range for students who chose to submit test scores. 37.7% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the share receiving this federal need-based aid. Azimuth ranks Baker College #574 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 18.9%, a figure that sits 16.9 percentage points below the overall [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) (35.8%) for the entering cohort as a whole. That distance between the two completion rates is what the access pillar captures. For mobility, Azimuth ranks the university #1,461 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates here earn about $2,741 less than the model expects for similar students. [How value-added outcomes are assessed](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Baker College rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #970 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 1 **Access & reach** National percentile: 61 **[Affordability](/school/baker-college/cost/)** National percentile: 76 **[Return on investment](/school/baker-college/outcomes/)** National percentile: 35 01 / Baker College briefing ## [Baker College cost & financial aid](/school/baker-college/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) At Baker College, affordability is the clearest part of the published price picture: aid recipients face an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $13,157. This is an average across recipients, not a quote for any particular family. The published cost of attendance is $24,526, including tuition and fees of $13,000 and room and board of $7,600. Aid reduces that published amount by $11,369 on average. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371, and Baker’s net price sits $14,214 below that median. Azimuth ranks Baker College #346 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lower after-aid cost and affordability rank point in the same direction for families weighing price. Baker College posts a published cost of attendance of $24,526, yet average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s for aid recipients fall below that sticker price across every family-income band. Those averages—what families pay after grants and scholarships—are $11,976 in the lowest band, $11,362 in the lower-middle, $12,546 in the middle, $13,754 in the upper-middle, and $17,964 in the highest. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,988. Azimuth ranks the university #346 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 46% of the published cost, a savings of $11,369 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,157. The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371, placing the university $14,214 below that benchmark. Tuition and fees are $13,000 and room and board are $7,600. The aid savings and below-peer net price point the same way on affordability. For federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $25,000, and 74.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median sits $801 above the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $9,540. Your family income Choose a household income range to see estimated net price. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ Reported average annual net price · $48–75K**$12,546** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Baker College Federal borrowing is common at Baker College, and its median debt is slightly higher than the comparable-school benchmark. Federal loans are used by 74.6% of federal aid recipients. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $25,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, placing Baker College $801 above it. Parent borrowers are a separate population; their median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $9,540. Baker College’s affordability stands apart from a more restrained return picture, where earnings and borrowing warrant equal attention. Graduates working and not enrolled have median earnings of $53,754 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,741 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios put earnings at $48,974 in a downside case, $53,754 in a typical case, and $79,420 in an upside case. Median federal debt is $25,000, $801 above the peer median of $24,199. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: modeled earnings fall short of expectations, and median debt sits above peers. Parent borrowers have median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $9,540. The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** $25,000 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $9,540 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $284/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $121/mo Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s. Payment assumptions Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=baker-college#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/baker-college/cost/) 02 / Baker College briefing ## [Baker College career outcomes & earnings](/school/baker-college/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,754, in the 28th percentile. That is $14,496 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the return pillar at the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,741 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 45th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $8,030. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,771. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $436. The central earnings figure at Baker College is $53,754 four years after completion. It covers federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places this earnings measure in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, using an earnings cohort of 4,126 completers. Graduates earn about $2,741 less than the model expects for similar students. The downside earnings scenario is $48,974, the typical scenario is $53,754, and the upside scenario is $79,420. An estimated 23.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenario span shows that earnings can vary substantially across the university’s program mix. Although affordability is Baker College's strongest Azimuth pillar, its return figures show earnings below comparable institutions and below the model's expectation. Median earnings are $53,754 four years after completion, placing them in the 28th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250; Baker's figure is $14,496 below it. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 45th percentile. Graduates earn about $2,741 less than the model expects for similar students. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,030. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,771. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $436. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $48,974 on the downside to $79,420 on the upside. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program earnings vary enough that the overall median does not describe every field. Nursing, the largest program, awarded 219 degrees and had median earnings of $77,840 four years after completion, or 0.88x the national median for its field. Business Administration and Management awarded 182 degrees, with $65,591 in median earnings, or 0.96x the national field median. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management awarded 50 degrees and recorded $79,805 in median earnings, at 0.94x the national median for its field. Computer Science had the highest listed earnings at $80,179 after 17 degrees were awarded, or 0.75x the national median for its field. Earnings at Baker College vary widely across earnings scenarios, from $48,974 on the downside to $79,420 on the upside, with $53,754 as the typical scenario. These are earnings scenarios based on program mix, rather than observed graduate groups. At the program level, median earnings four years after completion are $80,179 in Computer Science, $79,805 in Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, and $77,840 in Nursing. Those program results give concrete examples of the variation inside the modeled range. Lower prices are the clearest financial strength at Baker College. Its average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,157. That figure is below the $27,371 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $14,214. Across income bands, average net price is $11,976 in the lowest band, $11,362 in the lower-middle band, and $12,546 in the middle band. It is $13,754 in the upper-middle band and $17,964 in the highest band, showing that published averages vary by family income. For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $25,000, above the $24,199 peer median by $801. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $2,741 less than the model expects for similar students. Lower prices sit alongside debt above peers and earnings below the model, making the financial picture mixed. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$8,030 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$10,771 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$2,741 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/baker-college/outcomes/) 03 / Baker College briefing ## [Baker College acceptance rate & admissions](/school/baker-college/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Baker College’s admission rate points to an admissions outcome above the comparable-institution midpoint. The university admitted 81.9% of applicants in the reported entering class. That rate is above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Applicants should set their application list after comparing the published score range with their own academic record. SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Admission rate** 81.9% **Approximate lower endpoint** 960 **Reported average** 1080 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1160 Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/baker-college/admissions/) 04 / Baker College briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Baker College?](/school/baker-college/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Baker College shows a broad program-earnings range, with computing and nursing at the higher-earning end and business at a more moderate level four years after completion. Computer Science records median earnings of $80,179 and 17 degrees awarded. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management follows with $79,805 in median earnings and 50 degrees awarded. Nursing combines $77,840 in median earnings with 219 degrees awarded, making it the largest program among those named here. Business Administration and Management sits lower at $65,591 and 182 degrees awarded. The reported medians show considerable variation across these fields, alongside different numbers of degrees awarded. Nursing is Baker College’s largest bachelor’s program, with 219 degrees awarded and median earnings of $77,840 four years after completion. Health Professions accounts for 34.9% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, and published earnings data cover 15 fields. The largest programs span health, business, technology, and family-focused study rather than a single academic area. The figures show distinct earnings levels across Baker College’s largest programs. Baker College awards bachelor's degrees across 15 programs with published four-year earnings data. The degree mix is concentrated in two families: Health Professions accounts for 34.9% of degrees awarded, and Business accounts for 30.8%. Computer & Information Sciences is a distant third at 10.5%. The largest single program is Nursing, at 219 degrees awarded a year. Business Administration and Management is the second-largest, with 182 degrees awarded and median earnings of $65,591. The highest-earning program is a much smaller one. Computer Science reports median earnings of $80,179 four years after completion, from 17 degrees awarded a year. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management, the fourth-largest program, is close behind at $79,805 with 50 degrees awarded. The picture is one of a few large, health- and business-focused programs with solid earnings, alongside a handful of smaller technical programs that pay more. Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions is one program whose median exceeds the national median for its field, at $65,981 from 11 degrees awarded. Across all fields, 7.4% of degrees awarded are in STEM. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 219 degrees awarded** $77,840 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 182 degrees awarded** $65,591 **Health and Medical Administrative Services 71 degrees awarded** $51,868 **Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management 50 degrees awarded** $79,805 **Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services 49 degrees awarded** $45,610 **Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 48 degrees awarded** $58,921 Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings. [Read the full majors brief](/school/baker-college/majors/) 05 / Baker College briefing ## How does Baker College serve students from different backgrounds? Affordability is the university’s strongest measured pillar, but its mobility figures are weak. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time full-time cohort is 35.8%, and Pell recipients complete within six years at 18.9%, below the overall rate by 16.9 percentage points. Azimuth assigns the mobility pillar the 1st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 45th percentile. Graduates earn about $2,741 less than the model expects for similar students. Entry is fairly open at Baker College, which admits 81.9% of applicants. Its undergraduate enrollment is 3,026, with 37.7% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants and an estimated 69.7% entering as transfers or part-time students. These entry routes place access in the 61st percentile of nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission rate, Pell participation, and transfer presence describe several ways undergraduates reach the university. 06 / Baker College briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Baker College?](/school/baker-college/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. [How matching works](/school/baker-college/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Baker College. Admissions peerEastern Michigan University79.6% admitted+ Comparison with Baker College | Measure | Baker College | Eastern Michigan University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,754 | $59,616+$5,862 vs Baker College | | Average annual net price | $13,157 | $15,407+$2,250 vs Baker College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 81.9% | 79.6% | [Explore Eastern Michigan University →](/school/eastern-michigan-university/) Higher-admission alternativeRochester Christian University97.7% admitted+ Comparison with Baker College | Measure | Baker College | Rochester Christian University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,754 | $50,000\-$3,754 vs Baker College | | Average annual net price | $13,157 | $21,456+$8,299 vs Baker College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 81.9% | 97.7% | Nearby alternativeCalvin UniversityNearby option · MI+ Comparison with Baker College | Measure | Baker College | Calvin University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,754 | $60,889+$7,135 vs Baker College | | Average annual net price | $13,157 | $22,992+$9,835 vs Baker College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 81.9% | 70.9% | [Explore Calvin University →](/school/calvin-university/) Higher-earnings alternativeWayne State University$68,551 earnings+ Comparison with Baker College | Measure | Baker College | Wayne State University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,754 | $68,551+$14,797 vs Baker College | | Average annual net price | $13,157 | $12,766\-$391 vs Baker College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 81.9% | 81.2% | [Explore Wayne State University →](/school/wayne-state-university/) Lower-cost alternativeIndiana University-Kokomo$3,968 average net price+ Comparison with Baker College | Measure | Baker College | Indiana University-Kokomo | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,754 | $54,618+$864 vs Baker College | | Average annual net price | $13,157 | $3,968\-$9,189 vs Baker College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 81.9% | 86.5% | [Explore Indiana University-Kokomo →](/school/indiana-university-kokomo/) Similar profileSt Olaf CollegeMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Baker College | Measure | Baker College | St Olaf College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,754 | $56,323+$2,569 vs Baker College | | Average annual net price | $13,157 | $23,874+$10,717 vs Baker College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 81.9% | 48.3% | [Explore St Olaf College →](/school/st-olaf-college/) Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable. [Read the full similar schools brief](/school/baker-college/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)