1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. California Lutheran University Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # California Lutheran University CA · Medium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #821 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/california-lutheran-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/california-lutheran-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/california-lutheran-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/california-lutheran-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/california-lutheran-university/similar/) ## A private nonprofit university with an Azimuth composite profile. ### Who it’s a good fit for California Lutheran University is a private nonprofit university in Thousand Oaks, California, where the degree mix is led by Business and Psychology. Return is above average. Graduates out-earn what the model predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools. The model attributes more of that to what it cannot explain than to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market. Affordability is below the levels seen at many peers. The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it. Pell students complete at a rate below the overall cohort, and mobility is modestly below average. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest programs are not the highest-earning ones. ## California Lutheran University at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 75.7% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 69.6% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $69,695 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $24,318 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $21,669 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $32,125 ## California Lutheran University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) California Lutheran University is a private nonprofit university in Thousand Oaks, California, enrolling 2,296 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. The four pillars are spread out: return is the strongest (70th percentile), while affordability is the weakest (20th percentile), with access and mobility falling between them. The university admits 75.7% of applicants, a rate that is slightly above the 71.2% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 78.8% return for a second year, which runs below the peer median of 83.4%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 69.6%, slightly above the peer median of 68.8%. An estimated 27.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so a significant portion of the student body did not begin their studies here. The shape is a private university where return on investment is the strongest pillar and affordability is the weakest. Access and mobility sit closer to the middle of the field (49th and 35th percentiles respectively). The six-year graduation rate, which counts only first-time, full-time students, describes a narrower slice of the student body at a school with a transfer intake this large. Return is the clearest pillar for California Lutheran University, though affordability gives families a less favorable cost reading. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, return sits in the 70th percentile and access in the 49th percentile. Mobility falls in the 35th percentile, while affordability is in the 20th percentile. Return is the strongest pillar and affordability the weakest, so the outcome and cost measures point in different directions. 31.1% of undergraduates at California Lutheran University receive Pell Grants. The university is a private nonprofit university in Thousand Oaks, California, and its admission rate (75.7%) sits above the peer median for institutions of the same type and size. A large part of the undergraduate body arrives as transfers or part-time students (an estimated 27.6%). Azimuth ranks California Lutheran University #753 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The access pillar draws on the Pell share and the completion rate for those students. Pell Grant recipients complete at 62.5%, which is 7.1 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. The mobility pillar sits at #951. Graduates earn about $6,653 more than the model expects for similar students. The shape is a private university where earnings above the model's expectation for those who finish sit alongside a completion gap for Pell 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/) California Lutheran University rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #821 | | [California](/rankings/best-colleges-in-california/) | #62 | | [West](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-west/) | #123 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 35 **Access & reach** National percentile: 49 **[Affordability](/school/california-lutheran-university/cost/)** National percentile: 20 **[Return on investment](/school/california-lutheran-university/outcomes/)** National percentile: 70 01 / California Lutheran University briefing ## [California Lutheran University cost & financial aid](/school/california-lutheran-university/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) California Lutheran University has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $30,109 for aid recipients, what they pay after grants and scholarships, but its cost picture sits above comparable schools. The published cost of attendance is $68,426, an average across living arrangements. Published tuition and fees are $52,560, and room and board is $16,810. Aid recipients receive average savings of $38,317 against that sticker total. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371; California Lutheran's average is $2,738 above it. Azimuth places California Lutheran University in the 20th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its above-peer net price and affordability standing point in the same direction. Affordability is the weakest pillar for California Lutheran University, and the published cost of attendance is $68,426 (an average across living arrangements). For affordability, Azimuth places the university at #1,125 among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band pay $22,161 on average, the middle band pays $24,318, and the highest band pays $38,364. That is a spread of $16,203 between the two ends. For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships reduce the sticker price by $38,317. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) across all aid recipients is $30,109, which sits $2,738 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Tuition and fees are $52,560. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,669 in federal student loans, $2,530 below the $24,199 peer median. 88.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $32,125 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $246 a month. 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**$24,318** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at California Lutheran University Among the 88.4% of federal aid recipients who take federal loans, the median debt at completion is $21,669. That is $2,530 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $246 a month. Parents who borrow through the separate [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a median of $32,125. California Lutheran University has a favorable return picture, with graduates earn about $6,653 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $69,695 four years after completion. Azimuth places those earnings in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix are $49,306 in a downside case, $69,695 in a typical case, and $79,544 in an upside case. Median federal student debt at completion is $21,669, below the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $246 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher-than-expected earnings and lower borrowing point in the same direction. [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is separate from student borrowing; its median for parent borrowers is $32,125. For student borrowers, the median federal debt cited above corresponds to an estimated payment of $246 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** $21,669 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $32,125 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $246/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $408/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=california-lutheran-university#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/california-lutheran-university/cost/) 02 / California Lutheran University briefing ## [California Lutheran University career outcomes & earnings](/school/california-lutheran-university/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) California Lutheran University has a favorable four-year earnings picture: Graduates earn about $6,653 more 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, sit in the 76th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $175. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,478. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Median earnings four years after completion are $69,695, in the 76th percentile nationally. That is $1,445 above the peer median of $68,250, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). At California Lutheran University, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $69,695 four years after completing a degree. That figure sits in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, drawn from an earnings cohort of 864 completers. Graduates earn about $6,653 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix put typical earnings at $69,695, with a downside scenario of $49,306 and an upside scenario of $79,544. An estimated 32.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. California Lutheran University posts a return picture above comparable peers and the model’s expectation. Median earnings are $69,695 four years after completion, placing the university in the 76th percentile of nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, with the university $1,445 above that benchmark. Graduates earn about $6,653 more 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, falls in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $175. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,478. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,173. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $49,306 in the downside scenario to $79,544 in the upside scenario. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions; the peer comparison and modeled expectation point in the same direction. Accounting is the highest-earning named field, with 28 degrees awarded and median earnings of $89,573 four years after completion. That figure is 1.18x the national median for its field. Among larger fields, Psychology awarded 116 degrees and had median earnings of $59,153; Business Administration and Management awarded 112 degrees and had $76,916; and Biology awarded 59 degrees and had $64,939. These field-level results span earnings above and below the schoolwide median. California Lutheran University has a broad modeled earnings range: the downside scenario is $49,306, and the upside scenario is $79,544. These are scenarios based on program mix, rather than observed groups. Published earnings cover 13 programs. Four years after completion, median program earnings reach $89,573 in Accounting, $83,310 in Management Science, and $77,030 in Computer Science. Those program results illustrate why modeled outcomes extend from the downside to the upside scenario. At California Lutheran University, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $30,109, above the $27,371 peer median. Across income bands, the average is $22,161 for the lowest-income band, $23,668 for the lower-middle band, $24,318 for the middle band, $29,303 for the upper-middle band, and $38,364 for the highest-income band. For federal loan borrowers who completed, median student loan debt is $21,669, below the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $246 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $6,653 more than the model expects for similar students. This is [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. Lower borrower debt and higher-than-expected earnings point one way, though the average net price is above the peer median. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$175 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** +$6,478 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** +$6,653 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/california-lutheran-university/outcomes/) 03 / California Lutheran University briefing ## [California Lutheran University acceptance rate & admissions](/school/california-lutheran-university/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) California Lutheran University admitted 75.7% of applicants, above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). The rate describes the share of the reported applicant pool admitted, rather than an individual applicant’s odds. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 5,992 first-year applicants and 4,540 admitted applicants. SAT: reported composite scores **Admission rate** 75.7% **25th percentile** 1120 **Median** 1260 **75th percentile** 1330 CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/california-lutheran-university/admissions/) 04 / California Lutheran University briefing ## [What are the largest majors at California Lutheran University?](/school/california-lutheran-university/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) At California Lutheran University, earnings differ across fields, so the program choice changes the return picture. Four years after completion, Accounting has median earnings of $89,573 and awarded 28 degrees. Management Science records $83,310 in median earnings, with 26 degrees awarded. The higher-earning fields contrast with larger programs at more moderate earnings levels. Psychology reports median earnings of $59,153 four years after completion and awarded 116 degrees. Kinesiology and Physical Education reaches $59,820 and awarded 60 degrees. The figures show that the programs with the most degrees awarded do not necessarily sit at the upper end of the school’s program earnings range. Business accounts for 20.8% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, making it the largest program family at the university. Published earnings data cover 13 bachelor’s programs, so the available outcomes span more than the largest fields alone. Among the higher-earning programs, Accounting awarded 28 degrees and shows median earnings of $89,573 four years after completion. The degree mix at California Lutheran University is anchored by Business, which accounts for 20.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Psychology at 14.5% and Communication & Journalism at 10.7%. The university has 13 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Psychology, at 116 degrees awarded, with Business Administration and Management close behind at 112 degrees awarded. Kinesiology and Physical Education rounds out the top three at 60 degrees awarded. The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Accounting graduates earn a median of $89,573 four years after completion, from 28 degrees awarded a year. Management Science follows at $83,310, with 26 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management, the second-largest program, also appears among the top earners at $76,916, a benchmark ratio of 1.13x against the national median for its field. Computer Science earns $77,030 from 33 degrees awarded, though its benchmark ratio of 0.72x sits below the national median for the field. The pattern is one of strength concentrated in business and accounting, where the largest programs and the highest earnings overlap. Psychology, the biggest program, earns $59,153, a figure that sits above the national median for its field. Across all fields, 17.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM. Four-year earnings for fields where graduate study is common may understate later trajectories. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Psychology, General 116 degrees awarded** $59,153 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 112 degrees awarded** $76,916 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 60 degrees awarded** $59,820 **Biology, General 59 degrees awarded** $64,939 **Communication and Media Studies 52 degrees awarded** $61,653 **Criminology 38 degrees awarded** Too few graduates to report 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/california-lutheran-university/majors/) 05 / California Lutheran University briefing ## How does California Lutheran University serve students from different backgrounds? The university’s completion picture is mixed: its [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time full-time cohort is 69.6%, while Pell recipients’ six-year completion rate is 62.5%, below the overall rate by 7.1 percentage points. Azimuth puts the mobility pillar in the 35th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,653 more than the model expects for similar students, placing [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, in the 76th percentile. Admission is offered to 75.7% of applicants at California Lutheran University, a private nonprofit university with 2,296 undergraduates. Within that undergraduate body, 31.1% receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 27.6% entered as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 49th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission rate, Pell reach, and estimated transfer-in share describe access through several entry points. 06 / California Lutheran University briefing ## [What colleges are similar to California Lutheran University?](/school/california-lutheran-university/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/california-lutheran-university/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with California Lutheran University. Admissions peerUniversity of Redlands82.7% admitted+ Comparison with California Lutheran University | Measure | California Lutheran University | University of Redlands | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,695 | $75,863+$6,168 vs California Lutheran University | | Average annual net price | $30,109 | $30,031\-$78 vs California Lutheran University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 75.7% | 82.7% | [Explore University of Redlands →](/school/university-of-redlands/) Higher-admission alternativeCalifornia State University-Fullerton90.5% admitted+ Comparison with California Lutheran University | Measure | California Lutheran University | California State University-Fullerton | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,695 | $63,753\-$5,942 vs California Lutheran University | | Average annual net price | $30,109 | $6,555\-$23,554 vs California Lutheran University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 75.7% | 90.5% | [Explore California State University-Fullerton →](/school/california-state-university-fullerton/) Nearby alternativeChapman UniversityNearby option · CA+ Comparison with California Lutheran University | Measure | California Lutheran University | Chapman University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,695 | $73,336+$3,641 vs California Lutheran University | | Average annual net price | $30,109 | $46,555+$16,446 vs California Lutheran University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 75.7% | 65.4% | [Explore Chapman University →](/school/chapman-university/) Higher-earnings alternativeConcordia University-Irvine$83,064 earnings+ Comparison with California Lutheran University | Measure | California Lutheran University | Concordia University-Irvine | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,695 | $83,064+$13,369 vs California Lutheran University | | Average annual net price | $30,109 | $28,115\-$1,994 vs California Lutheran University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 75.7% | 66.0% | Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Los Angeles$3,967 average net price+ Comparison with California Lutheran University | Measure | California Lutheran University | California State University-Los Angeles | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,695 | $59,756\-$9,939 vs California Lutheran University | | Average annual net price | $30,109 | $3,967\-$26,142 vs California Lutheran University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 75.7% | 91.3% | [Explore California State University-Los Angeles →](/school/california-state-university-los-angeles/) Similar profileGeorge Fox UniversityMatched across several measures+ Comparison with California Lutheran University | Measure | California Lutheran University | George Fox University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,695 | $69,145\-$550 vs California Lutheran University | | Average annual net price | $30,109 | $31,679+$1,570 vs California Lutheran University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 75.7% | 93.5% | 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/california-lutheran-university/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/)