1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Missouri State University-Springfield Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Missouri State University-Springfield MO · Large public institution · Overall rank #589 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/admissions/)[Majors](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/similar/) ## [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Missouri State University-Springfield #589 nationally. ### Who it’s a good fit for Missouri State University-Springfield is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, where degrees are concentrated in Business and Education, and mobility is well above average. Graduates earn less than the model predicts for students like them. The model attributes part of the gap to the factors it measures, which adds to expected earnings, and part to a remainder it does not explain, which subtracts. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the four-year earnings figure counts only graduates who are not enrolled. Pell recipients finish below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Aid lowers the price for the lowest income band, which pays less than the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it. The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid fields are not the largest, so the most popular fields are not the highest-earning ones. ## Missouri State University-Springfield at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 90.5% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 57.9% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $53,058 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $14,905 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $21,992 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $15,092 ## Missouri State University-Springfield rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Undergraduate enrollment at Missouri State University-Springfield, a public university in Springfield, Missouri, is 13,313. Azimuth places the university near the middle of the field among nonprofit four-year institutions. Of all applicants, 90.5% are accepted at the university, a share measured against a median of 78.1% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. For students who start full time, 77.2% return for a second year, against a peer median of 83.1% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/), which counts only first-time full-time students, is 57.9%, against a peer median of 65.0% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. An estimated 35.7% of entrants are transfer students, so that six-year measure captures only a portion of the people who study at Missouri State University-Springfield. The four pillars are spread across the range. Mobility is the strongest of the four and return the weakest, with affordability and access falling between them. That spread is the defining feature of the university's Azimuth profile. Azimuth places Missouri State University-Springfield's strongest pillar, mobility, in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Affordability follows in the 67th percentile, and access in the 55th percentile. The weakest pillar is return, which Azimuth places in the 35th percentile. The composite rank is #589 among 1,467 institutions among nonprofit four-year institutions. Enrolled students who submitted SAT scores landed in the 1,020–1,270 range for the middle half; those who submitted ACT scores landed in the 19–26 range. 22.0% of the undergraduate body are Pell recipients. Azimuth places Missouri State University-Springfield at #667 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients finish within six years at 49.4%, which is 8.5 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole (57.9%). For mobility, Azimuth ranks the university #360 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,124 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/) Missouri State University-Springfield rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #589 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 76 **Access & reach** National percentile: 55 **[Affordability](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/cost/)** National percentile: 67 **[Return on investment](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/outcomes/)** National percentile: 35 01 / Missouri State University-Springfield briefing ## [Missouri State University-Springfield cost & financial aid](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) Missouri State University-Springfield publishes a cost of attendance of $25,048, with in-state tuition and fees at $9,502 and room and board at $11,006. Out-of-state students face a higher tuition of $18,770. For the average aid recipient, the [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what families pay after grants and scholarships—drops to $17,613, a savings of $7,435 against the sticker total. That average net price sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,979. Azimuth ranks the university #461 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The net price and the peer comparison together show a school where the sticker price is moderate but the average aid package leaves the typical recipient paying more than peers. Missouri State University-Springfield publishes a cost of attendance of $25,048, with in-state tuition and fees of $9,502 and room and board at $11,006. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what families pay after grants and scholarships—is $13,718 for those earning under $30,000, $14,905 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $20,576 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,858. Azimuth ranks the university #461 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $7,435 off the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $17,613, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,979. Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $18,770. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $21,992. About 85.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That debt level is above the peer median of $20,076 by $1,916, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) carry a separate median of $15,092. 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**$14,905** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Missouri State University-Springfield Federal borrowing touches most students at Missouri State University-Springfield: 85.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and completers who borrowed leave with a median federal debt of $21,992. That median is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,916. For parents who borrow separately through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), the median loan is $15,092. The investment picture at Missouri State University-Springfield is mixed: graduates earn less than the model expects, and they borrow more than peers at comparable institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,058. That figure sits in the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,124 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 51st percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $39,496 in a downside case to $77,609 in an upside case, with $53,058 as the typical outcome. On the borrowing side, completers who took federal loans carry a median of $21,992, which is $1,916 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $15,092. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $250. [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** $21,992 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $15,092 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $250/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $192/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=missouri-state-university-springfield#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/cost/) 02 / Missouri State University-Springfield briefing ## [Missouri State University-Springfield career outcomes & earnings](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Missouri State University-Springfield scores below average on economic return among nonprofit four-year institutions, with the return pillar in the 35th percentile. Four years after completion, graduates earn about $1,124 less than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 51st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,548. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,672. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $536. The median earnings four years after completion are $53,058, which is below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $12,552. That median sits in the 26th percentile nationally. The return picture is mixed: earnings fall short of the model and the peer median, while the mobility pillar ranks in the 76th percentile. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,058 at Missouri State University-Springfield. That is $12,552 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university's earnings in the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort is 4,180 completers. Graduates earn about $1,124 less than the model expects for similar students, landing at the 51st percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a wide range. The typical earnings scenario matches the observed median, with a downside of $39,496 and an upside of $77,609. An estimated 28.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix, so the four-year earnings picture captures most but not all of the near-term outcomes. Graduates of Missouri State University-Springfield earn a median of $53,058 four years after completion, a figure that sits in the 26th percentile nationally. That is below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $12,552. Graduates earn about $1,124 less than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 51st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $6,548. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $7,672. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $536. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the university #948 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $39,496 and an upside of $77,609, a wide spread that reflects the range of fields available. The program-level picture shows a clear split between the largest fields and the highest-earning ones. Teacher Education, the most awarded program with 376 degrees, has a median of $38,413 four years after completion, while Psychology (263 degrees) reaches $43,956. Both sit below the university-wide median. The highest-earning program, Construction Management, reaches $98,563 with 67 degrees awarded. It is followed by Computer Science at $93,094 (52 degrees). The highest-earning programs award far fewer degrees than the largest programs. The earnings scenarios at Missouri State University-Springfield span from a downside of $39,496 to an upside of $77,609 four years after completion, with the typical scenario at $53,058. That range shows the variation in earnings across the university's 51 programs with published data. The highest-earning programs illustrate the upper end of the spread. Construction Management completers earn a median of $98,563, Computer Science graduates earn $93,094, and Insurance completers earn $84,899. The published cost of attendance at Missouri State University-Springfield is $25,048, and the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $17,613. That average runs $1,979 above the $15,634 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $21,992 in federal student loans, $1,916 above the $20,076 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $15,092 in Parent PLUS loans. The return picture is mixed: graduates earn about $1,124 less than the model expects for similar students, while the net price and debt sit above their peer medians. A student's program choice matters a great deal here, because the spread between the downside and upside earnings scenarios is wide. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$6,548 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$7,672 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$1,124 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/missouri-state-university-springfield/outcomes/) 03 / Missouri State University-Springfield briefing ## [Missouri State University-Springfield acceptance rate & admissions](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Missouri State University-Springfield admitted 90.5% of its applicants, a rate well above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Admission rate** 90.5% **Approximate lower endpoint** 1020 **Reported average** 1122 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1270 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/missouri-state-university-springfield/admissions/) 04 / Missouri State University-Springfield briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Missouri State University-Springfield?](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) The highest-earning fields at Missouri State University-Springfield reach well above the university's overall median four years after completion, but the largest programs by degrees awarded sit closer to that figure. Construction Management leads with a median of $98,563, alongside 67 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $93,094 with 52 degrees awarded, and Nursing reaches $79,615 on 110 degrees awarded. Among the largest programs, the picture is more mixed. Teacher Education, the biggest program with 376 degrees awarded, shows a median of $38,413. Business Administration and Management and Marketing sit higher, at $60,247 and $66,333 respectively. The earnings range across these programs is wide. The largest programs at Missouri State University-Springfield concentrate in business and education, fields that together account for about a third of bachelor's degrees. Teacher Education awards the most degrees at 376 and shows a median of $38,413 four years after completion, while Business Administration and Management awards 181 degrees and reaches $60,247. The highest earnings come from programs that award fewer degrees. Construction Management leads at $98,563 with 67 degrees awarded. Computer Science follows at $93,094, and Insurance at $84,899. Nursing, a larger program with 110 degrees awarded, shows a median of $79,615. Mathematics reaches $77,471 from a smaller cohort of 18 degrees awarded. Business is the largest program family at Missouri State University-Springfield, accounting for 24.3% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Education follows at 12.2%, with Psychology third at 7.6%. The university has 51 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Teacher Education, awarding 376 degrees a year. Its graduates earn a median of $38,413 four years after completion, which is 0.81x the national median for the field. Psychology is next in size, with 263 degrees awarded and median earnings of $43,956. The highest-earning programs are a different set. Construction Management graduates report the top median at $98,563, from 67 degrees a year. Computer Science follows at $93,094 with 52 degrees awarded. Nursing, a larger program at 110 degrees, earns $79,615. The pattern is one of a broad-access public university where the largest programs prepare students for roles in education and business, while the strongest earnings come from smaller, applied fields. 13.3% of degrees are in STEM. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 376 degrees awarded** $38,413 **Psychology, General 263 degrees awarded** $43,956 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 181 degrees awarded** $60,247 **Marketing 177 degrees awarded** $66,333 **Finance and Financial Management Services 138 degrees awarded** $72,227 **Biology, General 127 degrees awarded** $51,897 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/missouri-state-university-springfield/majors/) 05 / Missouri State University-Springfield briefing ## How does Missouri State University-Springfield serve students from different backgrounds? Mobility is the strongest pillar for Missouri State University-Springfield. The mobility pillar sits in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the first-time full-time cohort, the [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 57.9%; Pell recipients complete at 49.4%, which falls below the overall rate by 8.5 percentage points. Four years after completion, graduates earn about $1,124 less than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 51st percentile. Those figures pull in different directions: a high mobility percentile alongside a Pell completion gap and below-expected earnings. Missouri State University-Springfield, a public university in Springfield, Missouri, enrolls 13,313 undergraduates and admits 90.5% of applicants, a share above the peer median of 78.1%, the middle value for comparable institutions. An estimated 35.7% of students enter as transfers or part-time students, while 22.0% of the undergraduate body receives Pell Grants. That mix of a high admission rate and substantial transfer-in population places the access pillar in the 55th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. 06 / Missouri State University-Springfield briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Missouri State University-Springfield?](/school/missouri-state-university-springfield/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/missouri-state-university-springfield/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Missouri State University-Springfield. Admissions peerMissouri Southern State University97.0% admitted+ Comparison with Missouri State University-Springfield | Measure | Missouri State University-Springfield | Missouri Southern State University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,058 | $52,419\-$639 vs Missouri State University-Springfield | | Average annual net price | $17,613 | $12,007\-$5,606 vs Missouri State University-Springfield · lower cost | | Admission rate | 90.5% | 97.0% | [Explore Missouri Southern State University →](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/) Nearby alternativeMissouri Southern State UniversityNearby option · MO+ Comparison with Missouri State University-Springfield | Measure | Missouri State University-Springfield | Missouri Southern State University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,058 | $52,419\-$639 vs Missouri State University-Springfield | | Average annual net price | $17,613 | $12,007\-$5,606 vs Missouri State University-Springfield · lower cost | | Admission rate | 90.5% | 97.0% | [Explore Missouri Southern State University →](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/) Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell$81,163 earnings+ Comparison with Missouri State University-Springfield | Measure | Missouri State University-Springfield | University of Massachusetts-Lowell | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,058 | $81,163+$28,105 vs Missouri State University-Springfield | | Average annual net price | $17,613 | $17,163\-$450 vs Missouri State University-Springfield · lower cost | | Admission rate | 90.5% | 83.0% | [Explore University of Massachusetts-Lowell →](/school/university-of-massachusetts-lowell/) Lower-cost alternativeMissouri Southern State University$12,007 average net price+ Comparison with Missouri State University-Springfield | Measure | Missouri State University-Springfield | Missouri Southern State University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,058 | $52,419\-$639 vs Missouri State University-Springfield | | Average annual net price | $17,613 | $12,007\-$5,606 vs Missouri State University-Springfield · lower cost | | Admission rate | 90.5% | 97.0% | [Explore Missouri Southern State University →](/school/missouri-southern-state-university/) Similar profileBowling Green State University-Main CampusMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Missouri State University-Springfield | Measure | Missouri State University-Springfield | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $53,058 | $54,998+$1,940 vs Missouri State University-Springfield | | Average annual net price | $17,613 | $24,022+$6,409 vs Missouri State University-Springfield · higher cost | | Admission rate | 90.5% | 81.0% | [Explore Bowling Green State University-Main Campus →](/school/bowling-green-state-university-main-campus/) 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/missouri-state-university-springfield/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/)