1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Capital University Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Capital University OH · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #1046 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/capital-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/capital-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/capital-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/capital-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/capital-university/similar/) ## Overall, Capital University sits in Azimuth’s 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. ### Who it’s a good fit for Capital University is a private nonprofit university in Columbus, Ohio, where Health Professions and Business lead the degree mix. Return is around the average, while mobility is modestly below average. Graduates earn less than the model predicts for students like them. The model attributes the gap to a remainder it cannot explain, while the factors it measures add to earnings. Pell recipients complete at a rate below the entering cohort as a whole. Access is modestly below average and affordability is modestly below average, so the financial picture is modest across the board. The admission rate sits below the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into the workforce rather than on to further study. A student drawn to Nursing should know it is both the largest program and one of the best-paid. ## Capital University at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 70.2% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 60.3% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $59,121 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $20,331 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $26,889 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $28,132 ## Capital University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Capital University is a private nonprofit university in Columbus, Ohio, enrolling 1,585 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the lower third of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (29th percentile). The four pillars are spread out, with return the strongest and mobility the weakest. Capital University admits 70.2% of applicants, a rate below the 75.7% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 75.5% return for a second year, against a peer median of 74.2%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 60.3%, compared to a peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 19.4% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students. Return is the strongest pillar, while mobility is the weakest. Access and affordability sit between them. The pillars are not tightly grouped, with return and mobility separated by more than twenty percentile points. Return is Capital University’s strongest Azimuth pillar, though it sits in the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access is in the 38th percentile, and affordability is in the 31st percentile. Mobility is the weakest pillar at the 26th percentile. The profile is strongest on return and weakest on mobility, with access and affordability also below the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. 33.9% of undergraduates at Capital University receive Pell Grants. That share measures financial access: it is the proportion of the student body receiving federal need-based aid, not a poverty rate or a low-income census. Azimuth ranks Capital University #904 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The access pillar weighs the share of undergraduates receiving that aid against how those students fare once enrolled. Pell recipients complete at 51.1%, below the overall [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) (60.3%) by 9.2 percentage points. That spread between the two rates is part of what the access pillar measures. Azimuth ranks the university #1,089 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,382 less than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits alongside the Pell completion figures in the mobility pillar. [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/) Capital University rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #1,046 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 26 **Access & reach** National percentile: 38 **[Affordability](/school/capital-university/cost/)** National percentile: 31 **[Return on investment](/school/capital-university/outcomes/)** National percentile: 46 01 / Capital University briefing ## [Capital University cost & financial aid](/school/capital-university/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) At Capital University, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $22,576, leaving a substantial distance from the published sticker total. The published cost of attendance is $57,130, with $43,234 for tuition and fees and $12,984 for room and board. For the average aid recipient, financial aid offsets $34,554 against the published price. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $22,347; the university is above it by $229. Azimuth ranks Capital University #974 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The slightly higher peer comparison and Azimuth placement both point to a less favorable affordability picture. For Capital University, the published cost of attendance is $57,130; after aid, pricing differs across family-income bands. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $19,062 in the lowest family-income band; $18,574 in the lower-middle band; $20,331 in the middle band; $23,348 in the upper-middle band; and $27,299 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,237, and Azimuth ranks the university #974 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 60% of the published cost, or average financial-aid savings of $34,554 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $22,576, which is $229 above the peer median of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $43,234, with room and board listed at $12,984. Average pricing is close to the peer benchmark despite aid offsetting much of the published cost. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $26,889, and 95.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That debt is $1,889 above the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $306 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $28,132. 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**$20,331** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Capital University Federal borrowing is common at Capital University, with 95.1% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $26,889. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000; the university's median is $1,889 above it. Broad federal borrowing and debt above the peer median point in the same direction. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $28,132. Capital University’s investment picture is mixed: its earnings sit above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Yet graduates earn about $5,382 less than the model expects for similar students. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $59,121 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 48th 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, falls in the 35th percentile. The earnings scenarios show $45,468 in a downside scenario, $59,121 in a typical scenario, and $80,000 in an upside scenario. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $26,889, compared with a peer median of $25,000; it is $1,889 above that benchmark. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $306 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-peer earnings and above-peer debt pull in opposite directions, while earnings below model expectations adds caution. Parent borrowers using [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans had median borrowing of $28,132, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. For the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $306 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** $26,889 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $28,132 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $306/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $357/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=capital-university#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/capital-university/cost/) 02 / Capital University briefing ## [Capital University career outcomes & earnings](/school/capital-university/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Capital University posts earnings above its comparable peers, although graduates earn about $5,382 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 $2,045. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,427. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,121 four years after completion, in the 48th percentile. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median, the middle value, is $55,915; the university stands above it by $3,206. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, while [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) sit in the 35th percentile. At Capital University, federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $59,121 four years after completion. The result draws on an earnings cohort of 956 completers and sits in the 48th percentile, as Azimuth places the measure among nonprofit four-year institutions. The typical earnings scenario matches that observed median, while the downside scenario is $45,468 and the upside scenario is $80,000. An estimated 30.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. [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, are less favorable here. Graduates earn about $5,382 less than the model expects for similar students. The scenario range is wide, but the model result points below expectations. Capital University’s return measures point in different directions. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $59,121 four years after completion, placing them in the 48th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $55,915, and the university’s figure is $3,206 above it. Graduates earn about $5,382 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, is in the 35th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,045. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,427. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $93. Downside and upside earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix are $45,468 and $80,000. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the university #797 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer comparison and the model do not point the same way. Program results range widely across the largest fields. Nursing, the largest program, awarded 81 degrees and has median earnings of $77,807 four years after completion, 0.88x of the national median for its field. The largest fields therefore show a broad earnings spread. The modeled range is wide enough that field choice is central to the earnings picture at Capital University. Scenarios run from $45,468 on the downside to $80,000 on the upside; these are earnings scenarios from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. Among the higher-earning fields, Business/Managerial Economics has median earnings of $84,669 four years after completion, followed by Accounting at $79,157 and Nursing at $77,807. Those field results help explain the upper end of the modeled range. At Capital University, graduates earn about $5,382 less than the model expects for similar students. The earnings picture rests on raw salaries, with no margin over what the model expects. That gap is part of the value case here. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $26,889 in federal student loans. The peer median is the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). That amount is $1,889 above the peer median of $25,000. The estimated monthly payment on that debt is $306 if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $28,132. Both debt and earnings sit on the same side of their benchmarks. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$2,045 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$7,427 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$5,382 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/capital-university/outcomes/) 03 / Capital University briefing ## [Capital University acceptance rate & admissions](/school/capital-university/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 5,382 first-year applicants, 3,499 admitted applicants, and 467 enrolled students. Capital University has an admission rate of 70.2%, meaning admissions were offered to most applicants in the reported pool. That rate is below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). SAT: reported composite scores **Admission rate** 70.2% **25th percentile** 900 **Median** 980 **75th percentile** 1120 CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/capital-university/admissions/) 04 / Capital University briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Capital University?](/school/capital-university/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) At Capital University, four-year earnings differ sharply across fields, making program choice central to the return picture. Business/Managerial Economics records median earnings of $84,669 four years after completion, with 7 degrees awarded. Accounting posts $79,157 and 5 degrees awarded, while Nursing has median earnings of $77,807 across 81 degrees awarded. At a more moderate earnings level, Teacher Education records $46,055 four years after completion and 32 degrees awarded. The higher-earning business, accounting, and nursing fields sit apart from teacher education in the reported four-year earnings picture. Capital University’s largest bachelor’s field is Nursing, pairing the broadest degree output with earnings well above several other large fields. Published earnings cover 19 bachelor’s fields, so the program-level picture offers more detail than a single school-wide figure. Among the higher-earning published fields, Business/Managerial Economics awarded 7 degrees and had median earnings of $84,669 four years after completion. The mix pairs a large nursing field with smaller business-oriented fields that also show higher earnings. The bachelor's degrees at Capital University are spread across several fields, with no single family dominating. Health Professions accounts for 16.3% of degrees awarded, followed closely by Business at 14.3% and Education at 13.6%. The university has 19 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Nursing, at 81 degrees awarded, with Business Administration and Management next at 45 degrees awarded and Psychology at 36 degrees awarded. The highest-earning program is a small one: Business/Managerial Economics graduates earn a median of $84,669 four years after completion, from 7 degrees awarded. Accounting follows at $79,157, also from a small cohort of 5 degrees awarded. The largest program, Nursing, is also among the best-paid, with median earnings of $77,807 and a benchmark ratio of 0.88x against the national median for its field. Business Administration and Management, the second-largest, posts a median of $71,710 and a benchmark ratio of 1.05x. The pattern is one of breadth rather than concentration, with the largest programs in health, business, and education. The highest earnings come from specialized business fields, but the largest program, Nursing, combines scale with solid pay. A student drawn to the largest programs in Psychology or Teacher Education should know that their earnings sit below the university's highest-earning fields, at $48,958 and $46,055 respectively. Across all fields, 9.5% of degrees are in STEM. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 81 degrees awarded** $77,807 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 45 degrees awarded** $71,710 **Psychology, General 36 degrees awarded** $48,958 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 32 degrees awarded** $46,055 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 28 degrees awarded** $51,851 **Social Work 28 degrees awarded** $55,078 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/capital-university/majors/) 05 / Capital University briefing ## How does Capital University serve students from different backgrounds? Return is Capital University’s strongest pillar, but its mobility picture is constrained by completion and below-expected earnings. [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, fall in the 35th percentile. Graduates earn about $5,382 less than the model expects for similar students. For the first-time full-time cohort, the [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 60.3%; Pell recipients complete within six years at 51.1%, below the overall rate by 9.2 percentage points. Azimuth assigns the mobility pillar to the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The completion gap and modeled earnings shortfall point in the same direction. Capital University offers a fairly open entry point, admitting 70.2% of applicants. Its undergraduate enrollment is 1,585, with 33.9% of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants and an estimated 19.4% arriving as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission pattern, Pell participation, and transfer entry describe access at a modest-sized private nonprofit university. 06 / Capital University briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Capital University?](/school/capital-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/capital-university/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Capital University. Admissions peerKettering College76.5% admitted+ Comparison with Capital University | Measure | Capital University | Kettering College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $59,121 | $80,027+$20,906 vs Capital University | | Average annual net price | $22,576 | $21,650\-$926 vs Capital University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 70.2% | 76.5% | Higher-admission alternativeOtterbein University84.5% admitted+ Comparison with Capital University | Measure | Capital University | Otterbein University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $59,121 | $58,068\-$1,053 vs Capital University | | Average annual net price | $22,576 | $19,237\-$3,339 vs Capital University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 70.2% | 84.5% | [Explore Otterbein University →](/school/otterbein-university/) Nearby alternativeAshland UniversityNearby option · OH+ Comparison with Capital University | Measure | Capital University | Ashland University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $59,121 | $59,855+$734 vs Capital University | | Average annual net price | $22,576 | $21,988\-$588 vs Capital University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 70.2% | 76.4% | [Explore Ashland University →](/school/ashland-university/) Higher-earnings alternativeKettering College$80,027 earnings+ Comparison with Capital University | Measure | Capital University | Kettering College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $59,121 | $80,027+$20,906 vs Capital University | | Average annual net price | $22,576 | $21,650\-$926 vs Capital University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 70.2% | 76.5% | Lower-cost alternativeWright State University-Main Campus$15,415 average net price+ Comparison with Capital University | Measure | Capital University | Wright State University-Main Campus | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $59,121 | $62,601+$3,480 vs Capital University | | Average annual net price | $22,576 | $15,415\-$7,161 vs Capital University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 70.2% | 96.3% | [Explore Wright State University-Main Campus →](/school/wright-state-university-main-campus/) Similar profileUniversity of EvansvilleMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Capital University | Measure | Capital University | University of Evansville | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $59,121 | $59,762+$641 vs Capital University | | Average annual net price | $22,576 | $18,499\-$4,077 vs Capital University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 70.2% | 77.6% | 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/capital-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/)