1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Saint Mary's College Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Saint Mary's College IN · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #706 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/saint-marys-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/saint-marys-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/saint-marys-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/saint-marys-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/saint-marys-college/similar/) ## Azimuth places the college in the 52nd percentile nationally. ### Who it’s a good fit for Saint Mary's College is a private nonprofit university in Notre Dame, Indiana, where Health Professions and Business lead the degree mix and mobility is well above average. The fit is clearest for a student who wants a campus in Indiana and expects to work after the degree. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study. Graduates earn above the median at comparable schools, and return is well above average. The typical earnings scenario sits above the median for comparable institutions, while the downside scenario lands below it. Pell recipients complete at a rate above the overall six-year graduation rate, and mobility is well above average. But access is below the levels seen at many peers and affordability is below the levels seen at many peers, so the financial case depends heavily on aid. The lowest income band averages well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it. The admission rate is close to the median for comparable schools, and the largest programs span Nursing, Psychology, and Business Administration and Management. A student drawn to the health professions should know that the highest-earning program, Accounting, is much smaller than the largest one. ## Saint Mary's College at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 76.0% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 69.3% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $69,406 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $21,014 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $27,000 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $48,565 ## Saint Mary's College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Saint Mary's College sits in Notre Dame, Indiana, as a private nonprofit university enrolling 1,458 undergraduates. Azimuth places the college near the middle of the field among nonprofit four-year institutions (52nd percentile). Saint Mary's College admits 76.0% of applicants, against a peer median of 75.7% for comparable institutions. First-year retention reaches 88.1%, compared with a peer median of 74.2%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) stands at 69.3%, against a peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 7.3% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year figure covers only the first-time full-time cohort. Mobility is the strongest pillar at Saint Mary's College (80th percentile), while access is the weakest (14th percentile). Return sits close behind mobility (78th percentile), and affordability is the other low pillar (17th percentile). The four pillars sit far apart, with mobility and return at the upper end and affordability and access at the lower end. Saint Mary's College has a divided Azimuth profile: mobility and return are relative strengths, while access and affordability warrant closer attention. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, mobility stands in the 80th percentile, the strongest pillar, and return is in the 78th percentile. Azimuth puts access, the weakest pillar, in the 14th percentile and affordability in the 17th percentile. The higher mobility and return readings sit alongside much lower access and affordability measures. The reported entering class at Saint Mary's College had an admission rate of 76.0%, describing admissions to that class rather than any applicant’s individual chance. The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,130 and 1,325. The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores fell between 26 and 30. Pell Grants go to 23.9% of undergraduates, a financial-access measure, and an estimated 7.3% enter after starting elsewhere. These figures show several routes into the college, from direct admission to transfer enrollment. Access combines 1,458 undergraduates with a first-year retention rate of 88.1%. Azimuth ranks Saint Mary's College #1,266 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. The access scale also includes the Pell Grant share cited above. For the first-time full-time cohort, the [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 69.3%; the Pell-recipient completion rate is 73.9%, above the overall rate by 4.6 percentage points. Retention and completion sit alongside a lower access standing among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility stands above access in the college’s Azimuth profile. Azimuth ranks Saint Mary's College #296 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. The mobility result puts the completion figures alongside the reported admission scale and undergraduate enrollment: outcomes after entry sit in a different position from the access pillar. That contrast between mobility and access is the clearest pattern across these measures. [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/) Saint Mary's College rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #706 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 80 **Access & reach** National percentile: 14 **[Affordability](/school/saint-marys-college/cost/)** National percentile: 17 **[Return on investment](/school/saint-marys-college/outcomes/)** National percentile: 78 01 / Saint Mary's College briefing ## [Saint Mary's College cost & financial aid](/school/saint-marys-college/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) At Saint Mary's College, the published annual cost of attendance is $66,478 (an average across living arrangements), so grant aid has a large role in what recipients pay. Tuition and fees account for $53,230, with room and board listed at $14,260. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,292. Financial aid offsets $41,186 from the published cost on average. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347, placing this net price $2,945 above that benchmark. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 17th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid substantially reduces the sticker cost, though the remaining average price sits above the peer median. The published cost of attendance at Saint Mary's College is $66,478 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,171 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,760 for families earning under $30,000, $18,152 for those earning $30,001 to $48,000, $21,014 for the $48,001 to $75,000 band, $23,680 for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, and $30,443 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,683. Aid covers about 62% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $41,186 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,292, which is $2,945 above the median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, $2,000 above the peer median of $25,000. 93.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $48,565 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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**$21,014** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Saint Mary's College For federal-loan borrowers who completed at Saint Mary's College, median federal student loan debt is $27,000. Federal loans reach 93.4% of federal aid recipients, so borrowing is common on campus. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000; Saint Mary's median is $2,000 above it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $48,565. Federal borrowing is common, and completed borrowers carry debt above the peer midpoint. Earnings are comparatively strong at Saint Mary's College, though its median federal debt is higher than the peer benchmark. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $69,406 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings scenarios put earnings at $50,058 in a downside case, $69,406 in the typical case, and $83,511 in an upside case; these are scenarios based on the program mix, not observed groups. Median federal debt is $27,000, which is $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher earnings and higher borrowing point in different directions. For parent borrowers, a separate population from student federal borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $48,565. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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** $27,000 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $48,565 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $307/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $617/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=saint-marys-college#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/saint-marys-college/cost/) 02 / Saint Mary's College briefing ## [Saint Mary's College career outcomes & earnings](/school/saint-marys-college/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Saint Mary's College presents an earnings picture that is stronger than its peer comparison. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $69,406 four years after completion, placing earnings in the 75th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $55,915; the college's median is $13,491 above it. The return percentile and peer comparison point in the same favorable direction. Graduate earnings at Saint Mary's College sit toward the higher end of nonprofit four-year institutions. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $69,406 four years after completion. Azimuth places that measure in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 387 completers. The typical earnings scenario matches the reported median, while the downside scenario is $50,058 and the upside scenario is $83,511. These are earnings scenarios based on the program mix, not observed groups of graduates. An estimated 32.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenario range shows that earnings differ across fields. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Saint Mary's College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $69,406. That figure is $13,491 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university's median earnings in the 75th percentile. The return picture is grounded in the program mix: earnings scenarios range from a downside of $50,058 to an upside of $83,511. An estimated 32.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the university #328 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings profile shows a degree mix concentrated in fields with varied payoffs. The largest programs are in health professions and business, and the highest-earning fields sit well above the overall median, while others, like education, sit below it. The spread between the largest program's earnings and the highest-earning program's is wide, and the overall median sits below both of them. The modeled earnings range at Saint Mary's College is broad across its program mix. The downside earnings scenario is $50,058 and the upside scenario is $83,511; these are scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates. Program medians also vary four years after completion: Accounting posts $98,107, Nursing posts $80,396, and Political Science posts $74,623. These field-level medians sit across a wide span of earnings. At Saint Mary's College, the cost-and-debt picture deserves as much attention as the earnings record. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000. It is above the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $2,000. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers using Parent PLUS have median debt of $48,565. Four years after completion, median earnings are $69,406, above the peer median by $13,491. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $25,292, which is above the peer median by $2,945. Aid covers about 62% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The figures place earnings, borrowing, and price on the same decision sheet. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/saint-marys-college/outcomes/) 03 / Saint Mary's College briefing ## [Saint Mary's College acceptance rate & admissions](/school/saint-marys-college/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Saint Mary's College admitted 76.0% of applicants in the reported cycle, a rate close to the typical outcome at comparable institutions. That figure sits alongside the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size), so the two rates are nearly alike. Applicants should compare their academic record and submitted scores with Saint Mary's College's published ranges when building an application list. SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Admission rate** 76.0% **Approximate lower endpoint** 1130 **Reported average** 1246 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1325 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/saint-marys-college/admissions/) 04 / Saint Mary's College briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Saint Mary's College?](/school/saint-marys-college/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) At Saint Mary's College, the program picture spans higher- and more moderate-earning fields four years after completion. Accounting sits at the higher end, with median earnings of $98,107 and 13 degrees awarded. Nursing also posts median earnings of $80,396 across 45 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management had median earnings of $73,449 and 29 degrees awarded, placing it between those higher figures and the more moderate result for Teacher Education, at $51,665 with 25 degrees awarded. These results show that the earnings picture differs materially by field, even among programs with substantial numbers of degrees awarded. Program choice matters at Saint Mary's College because the largest fields show a broad range of earnings four years after completion. Among those fields, Nursing awarded 45 degrees and had median earnings of $80,396; Psychology awarded 30 degrees and had median earnings of $58,218; Business Administration and Management awarded 29 degrees and had median earnings of $73,449; Teacher Education awarded 25 degrees and had median earnings of $51,665; and Communication and Media Studies awarded 20 degrees and had median earnings of $66,335. The range across these larger fields makes the intended field an important part of the earnings picture. Saint Mary's College places Health Professions at the center of its degree mix, with 18.9% of bachelor’s degrees awarded in that family. Business accounts for 12.4% of bachelor’s degrees, and Education accounts for 9.2%. Published earnings four years after completion cover 10 fields. The largest program is Nursing, with 45 degrees awarded, followed by Psychology with 30 and Business Administration and Management with 29. The highest-earning listed program is Accounting, where median earnings are $98,107 four years after completion from 13 degrees awarded. Its benchmark ratio is 1.29x against the national median for its field. Nursing, the largest program, has median earnings of $80,396 four years after completion. Political Science reports $74,623 from 6 degrees awarded, while Biology reports $68,409 from 17 degrees awarded. The earnings picture is spread across health, business, social science, and science programs rather than concentrated in one large pathway. Business Administration and Management has median earnings of $73,449 four years after completion, alongside the larger nursing pathway and the smaller accounting and political science programs. The listed fields pair varied program sizes with earnings that do not follow a single order. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 45 degrees awarded** $80,396 **Psychology, General 30 degrees awarded** $58,218 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 29 degrees awarded** $73,449 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 25 degrees awarded** $51,665 **Communication and Media Studies 20 degrees awarded** $66,335 **Communication Disorders Sciences and Services 19 degrees awarded** $66,587 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/saint-marys-college/majors/) 05 / Saint Mary's College briefing ## How does Saint Mary's College serve students from different backgrounds? Mobility is Saint Mary's College's strongest measured pillar, centered on completion outcomes for the first-time full-time cohort. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 69.3%, and Pell recipients complete within six years at 73.9%, above the overall rate by 4.6 percentage points. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The above-overall Pell completion rate and the mobility standing point in the same direction. At Saint Mary's College, 76.0% of applicants are admitted, making entry relatively open at this private nonprofit university in Notre Dame, Indiana. Undergraduate enrollment is 1,458; 23.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 7.3% enter as transfers or part-time students. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 14th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission, Pell, and transfer measures describe a comparatively limited access profile. 06 / Saint Mary's College briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Saint Mary's College?](/school/saint-marys-college/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. [How matching works](/school/saint-marys-college/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Saint Mary's College. Admissions peerCalvin University70.9% admitted+ Comparison with Saint Mary's College | Measure | Saint Mary's College | Calvin University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,406 | $60,889\-$8,517 vs Saint Mary's College | | Average annual net price | $25,292 | $22,992\-$2,300 vs Saint Mary's College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.0% | 70.9% | [Explore Calvin University →](/school/calvin-university/) Higher-admission alternativeValparaiso University89.4% admitted+ Comparison with Saint Mary's College | Measure | Saint Mary's College | Valparaiso University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,406 | $69,228\-$178 vs Saint Mary's College | | Average annual net price | $25,292 | $18,578\-$6,714 vs Saint Mary's College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.0% | 89.4% | [Explore Valparaiso University →](/school/valparaiso-university/) Nearby alternativeIndiana Wesleyan University-MarionNearby option · IN+ Comparison with Saint Mary's College | Measure | Saint Mary's College | Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,406 | $68,838\-$568 vs Saint Mary's College | | Average annual net price | $25,292 | $22,866\-$2,426 vs Saint Mary's College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.0% | 88.9% | [Explore Indiana Wesleyan University-Marion →](/school/indiana-wesleyan-university-marion/) Higher-earnings alternativeMolloy University$96,058 earnings+ Comparison with Saint Mary's College | Measure | Saint Mary's College | Molloy University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,406 | $96,058+$26,652 vs Saint Mary's College | | Average annual net price | $25,292 | $24,347\-$945 vs Saint Mary's College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.0% | 81.7% | [Explore Molloy University →](/school/molloy-university/) Lower-cost alternativePurdue University Northwest$6,079 average net price+ Comparison with Saint Mary's College | Measure | Saint Mary's College | Purdue University Northwest | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,406 | $73,337+$3,931 vs Saint Mary's College | | Average annual net price | $25,292 | $6,079\-$19,213 vs Saint Mary's College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 76.0% | 72.4% | [Explore Purdue University Northwest →](/school/purdue-university-northwest/) Similar profileIllinois Wesleyan UniversityMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Saint Mary's College | Measure | Saint Mary's College | Illinois Wesleyan University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $69,406 | $69,265\-$141 vs Saint Mary's College | | Average annual net price | $25,292 | $28,199+$2,907 vs Saint Mary's College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 76.0% | 39.3% | 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/saint-marys-college/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)