1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Siena Heights University Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Siena Heights University MI · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #763 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/siena-heights-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/siena-heights-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/siena-heights-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/siena-heights-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/siena-heights-university/similar/) ## Azimuth places Siena Heights University in its 48th percentile overall among nonprofit institutions. ### Who it’s a good fit for Siena Heights University is a private nonprofit university in Adrian, Michigan, where Health Professions and Business lead the degree mix. Affordability is well above average, while mobility is below the levels seen at many peers. Graduates earn less than the model predicts for students like them. The model attributes the factors it measures to adds expected earnings, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them. Aid covers a large share of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the sticker price. Pell students complete within a few points of the overall rate, though mobility is below the levels seen at many peers. The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are not the largest. ## Siena Heights University at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 68.9% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 38.6% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $62,131 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $17,260 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $18,750 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $17,192 ## Siena Heights University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Siena Heights University is a private nonprofit university in Adrian, Michigan, enrolling 1,495 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (48th percentile). The four pillars are spread wide: affordability is the strongest (77th percentile), while mobility is the weakest (6th percentile). The university admits 68.9% of applicants, a rate that is below the 75.7% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 70.0% return for a second year and 38.6% finish within six years. Both figures run below the peer medians of 74.2% and 54.9%. An estimated 37.2% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes only the first-time, full-time cohort. The shape is a private university where affordability is the strongest pillar and mobility trails far behind, with return and access sitting between them. The strongest and weakest pillars are far apart. Cost is the clearest part of Siena Heights University’s Azimuth profile, with mobility at the other end. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, affordability stands in the 77th percentile, the university’s strongest pillar. Return is in the 59th percentile, and access is in the 44th percentile. Mobility, the weakest pillar, is in the 6th percentile. The profile pairs a comparatively strong affordability result with a much lower mobility result. Enrolled students who submitted SATs posted scores from 806 to 1,073 across the middle half of test-takers. Those who submitted ACTs posted a band from 16 to 23. Pell Grants reach 34.2% of undergraduates, the financial-access measure used here. For access, Azimuth places Siena Heights University at #827 among nonprofit four-year institutions. The six-year completion rate for Pell recipients is 35.4%, a figure that sits 3.2 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole (38.6%). Azimuth assigns a mobility rank of #1,383 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $359 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a result that coincides with its mobility ranking in the federal data. [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/) Siena Heights University rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #763 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 6 **Access & reach** National percentile: 44 **[Affordability](/school/siena-heights-university/cost/)** National percentile: 77 **[Return on investment](/school/siena-heights-university/outcomes/)** National percentile: 59 01 / Siena Heights University briefing ## [Siena Heights University cost & financial aid](/school/siena-heights-university/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) For aid recipients, Siena Heights University has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $17,124, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, giving the school a comparatively favorable cost picture. The published cost of attendance is $44,449, with $30,778 for tuition and fees and $13,530 for room and board. Financial aid reduces the published cost by $27,325 on average for those recipients, though an individual offer can differ. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $22,347; Siena Heights sits $5,223 below that figure. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lower average price and the peer comparison point in the same direction for aid recipients. Siena Heights University posts a cost of attendance of $44,449, with aid-recipient prices clustered across its 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 $15,624 for the lowest-income band, $15,145 for the lower-middle band, $17,260 for the middle band, $18,284 for the upper-middle band, and $17,857 for the highest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $2,233. Azimuth ranks the university #322 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 61% of the published cost and offsets $27,325 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $17,124. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347, and the university is $5,223 below it. Published tuition and fees are $30,778, so the aid offset and lower peer comparison point in the same direction. Federal-loan borrowers who completed have median federal student loan debt of $18,750, and 92.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $25,000, placing the university $6,250 below that figure. [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers have median borrowing of $17,192. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years. 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**$17,260** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Siena Heights University At Siena Heights University, federal borrowing is common, yet the median balance at completion sits below the comparable peer benchmark. 92.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $18,750. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $25,000. The university’s median is $6,250 below that benchmark, so lower debt relative to peers coincides with a high federal borrowing share. Parents who borrowed through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $17,192. Affordability is the strongest pillar at Siena Heights University. Among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $62,131, $6,216 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That earnings level sits in the 57th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $359 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. That outcome falls in the 53rd percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, span from $47,069 in a downside case to $82,188 in an upside case, with $62,131 as the typical outcome. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $18,750 in federal student loans, $6,250 below the $25,000 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: earnings land above the peer median but right at the level the model expects for similar students. Among parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $17,192, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 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** $18,750 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $17,192 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $213/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $218/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=siena-heights-university#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/siena-heights-university/cost/) 02 / Siena Heights University briefing ## [Siena Heights University career outcomes & earnings](/school/siena-heights-university/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Although affordability is Siena Heights University's strongest pillar, return measures offer two reference points. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $62,131 four years after completion, in the 57th percentile. That median stands $6,216 above the peer median of $55,915, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $359 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. [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—lands in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,424. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,783. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The above-peer median and near-expected model result use different comparison points. Siena Heights University graduates have earnings near the middle of the national distribution, with field choice shaping the modeled range. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $62,131 four years after completion. In Azimuth’s coverage of nonprofit four-year institutions, that earnings measure sits in the 57th percentile and draws on an earnings cohort of 1,089 completers. Graduates earn about $359 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. The program-mix model gives a typical earnings scenario of $62,131, alongside a downside scenario of $47,069 and an upside scenario of $82,188. An estimated 25.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The scenarios and graduate-study estimate show that post-college paths vary within the school-wide result. Affordability is the strongest Azimuth pillar at Siena Heights University, but the return figures show both a favorable peer comparison and earnings close to the model’s expectation. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled had median earnings of $62,131 four years after completion, in the 57th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), was $55,915, and Siena Heights stood $6,216 above it. Graduates earn about $359 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. [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 53rd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,424. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $3,783. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $47. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $47,069 in the downside scenario to $82,188 in the upside scenario. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer comparison is above its benchmark, while the model comparison is effectively level. Allied Health Professions is the largest listed field, with 73 degrees awarded and median earnings of $81,797 four years after completion, or 1.16x the national median for its field. Criminal Justice awarded 62 degrees and had median earnings of $72,791 four years after completion, at 1.31x the national field median. Business Administration and Management awarded 67 degrees, with $57,316 in median earnings four years after completion and 0.84x the national median for its field. The largest fields therefore span earnings and national field comparisons that point in different directions. Earnings vary across Siena Heights University’s earnings scenarios and its larger programs. The downside scenario is $47,069, the typical scenario is $62,131, and the upside scenario reaches $82,188; these are earnings scenarios from the program mix, not observed graduate groups. Four years after completion, median program earnings are $82,539 in Nursing, $81,797 in Allied Health Professions, and $72,791 in Criminal Justice. Those program results give the modeled range a concrete field-by-field context. Siena Heights University pairs lower borrowing with a lower average net price than comparable institutions, while its earnings sit effectively at the model’s expected level. Borrowers who completed have median federal student loan debt of $18,750. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $25,000, making the university’s figure below it by $6,250. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,124, which is below the $22,347 peer median by $5,223. Aid covers about 61% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Graduates earn about $359 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Lower debt and net price point in the same direction, even though earnings are close to model expectations. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$3,424 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$3,783 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$359 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/siena-heights-university/outcomes/) 03 / Siena Heights University briefing ## [Siena Heights University acceptance rate & admissions](/school/siena-heights-university/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Siena Heights University admitted 68.9% of applicants, a rate below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). This means the reported admission outcome was less open than the middle result among its institutional peers. SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Admission rate** 68.9% **Approximate lower endpoint** 806 **Reported average** 954 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1073 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/siena-heights-university/admissions/) 04 / Siena Heights University briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Siena Heights University?](/school/siena-heights-university/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) At Siena Heights University, the earnings picture differs by field, with health-related programs at the higher end among the larger programs. Nursing had median earnings of $82,539 four years after completion and 32 degrees awarded. Allied Health Professions also posted $81,797 in median earnings, with 73 degrees awarded. Criminal Justice recorded median earnings of $72,791 four years after completion across 62 degrees awarded. More moderate figures appear in Accounting, at $59,960 with 32 degrees awarded, and Business Administration and Management, at $57,316 with 67 degrees awarded. The contrast shows that the university-wide earnings figure can look different depending on the field. At Siena Heights University, the largest programs show varied earnings four years after completion. The earnings range across these larger programs makes intended field an important part of the financial picture. The degree mix at Siena Heights University is concentrated in professional fields. Health Professions accounts for 31.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Business next at 20.0% and Security & Protective Services at 12.5%. The university has 16 programs with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Allied Health Professions, at 73 degrees awarded, followed by Business Administration and Management at 67 and Criminal Justice at 62. The highest-earning program is Nursing, where graduates earn a median of $82,539 four years after completion, from 32 degrees awarded. Allied Health Professions, the largest program, reports median earnings of $81,797 and a benchmark ratio of 1.16x against the national median for its field. Criminal Justice graduates earn $72,791, a benchmark ratio of 1.31x. A smaller program, Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, awards 12 degrees and its graduates earn $71,622. Business Administration and Management and Accounting, both in the business family, earn below their field medians, at 0.84x and 0.79x respectively. The pattern is one of mixed strength in health and protective-service fields: Allied Health Professions and Criminal Justice exceed the national median for their fields, while Nursing sits below it. Across all fields, 9.7% of degrees awarded are in STEM. The largest programs are not the best-paid ones, and the business programs, while large, sit below the national median for their fields. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 73 degrees awarded** $81,797 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 67 degrees awarded** $57,316 **Criminal Justice and Corrections 62 degrees awarded** $72,791 **Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 32 degrees awarded** $82,539 **Accounting and Related Services 32 degrees awarded** $59,960 **Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 26 degrees awarded** $61,834 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/siena-heights-university/majors/) 05 / Siena Heights University briefing ## How does Siena Heights University serve students from different backgrounds? Affordability is Siena Heights University’s strongest measured pillar, but mobility results are weak. The first-time full-time cohort has a [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) of 38.6%, and Pell recipients complete within six years at 35.4%, below the overall rate by 3.2 percentage points. Azimuth assigns the mobility pillar to the 6th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $359 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Azimuth places that measure in the 53rd percentile nationally. Siena Heights University admits 68.9% of applicants, setting the entry point for an undergraduate enrollment of 1,495 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients account for 34.2% of undergraduates, and the estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group is 37.2%, showing that entry comes through more than one route. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission pattern, Pell participation, and transfer estimate describe the school’s access profile. 06 / Siena Heights University briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Siena Heights University?](/school/siena-heights-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/siena-heights-university/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Siena Heights University. Admissions peerMadonna University63.4% admitted+ Comparison with Siena Heights University | Measure | Siena Heights University | Madonna University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $62,131 | $61,516\-$615 vs Siena Heights University | | Average annual net price | $17,124 | $17,755+$631 vs Siena Heights University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 68.9% | 63.4% | Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne96.0% admitted+ Comparison with Siena Heights University | Measure | Siena Heights University | University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $62,131 | $62,831+$700 vs Siena Heights University | | Average annual net price | $17,124 | $18,196+$1,072 vs Siena Heights University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 68.9% | 96.0% | Nearby alternativeMadonna UniversityNearby option · MI+ Comparison with Siena Heights University | Measure | Siena Heights University | Madonna University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $62,131 | $61,516\-$615 vs Siena Heights University | | Average annual net price | $17,124 | $17,755+$631 vs Siena Heights University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 68.9% | 63.4% | Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Detroit Mercy$78,953 earnings+ Comparison with Siena Heights University | Measure | Siena Heights University | University of Detroit Mercy | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $62,131 | $78,953+$16,822 vs Siena Heights University | | Average annual net price | $17,124 | $15,232\-$1,892 vs Siena Heights University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 68.9% | 75.4% | Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Michigan-Flint$7,007 average net price+ Comparison with Siena Heights University | Measure | Siena Heights University | University of Michigan-Flint | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $62,131 | $65,600+$3,469 vs Siena Heights University | | Average annual net price | $17,124 | $7,007\-$10,117 vs Siena Heights University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 68.9% | 70.5% | [Explore University of Michigan-Flint →](/school/university-of-michigan-flint/) Similar profileNebraska Wesleyan UniversityMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Siena Heights University | Measure | Siena Heights University | Nebraska Wesleyan University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $62,131 | $61,753\-$378 vs Siena Heights University | | Average annual net price | $17,124 | $18,327+$1,203 vs Siena Heights University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 68.9% | 79.8% | 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/siena-heights-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 uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. 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/)