1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Susquehanna University Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Susquehanna University PA · Medium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #1305 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/susquehanna-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/susquehanna-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/susquehanna-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/susquehanna-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/susquehanna-university/similar/) ## Azimuth places the university in the 11th percentile overall. ### Who it’s a good fit for Susquehanna University is a private nonprofit university in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, where Business and Biological Sciences lead the degree mix. Mobility is the strongest pillar, and it is modestly below average. Graduates earn less than the model expects for similar students. The model attributes an addition to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — and a subtraction to what it cannot explain. The model places most of the gap in what it cannot explain. Affordability is below the levels seen at many peers, and what students typically pay after aid sits above the median at comparable schools. Pell students finish at a rate below the overall cohort. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions. 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 fields are different. ## Susquehanna University at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 81.4% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 81.7% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $58,506 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $21,171 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $27,000 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $46,359 ## Susquehanna University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Susquehanna University is a private nonprofit university in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, enrolling 2,163 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the bottom of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, in the 11th percentile. The university admits 81.4% of applicants, a rate above the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who start full time, 86.3% return for a second year, and 81.7% finish within six years. Those figures compare to peer medians of 83.4% and 68.8%, respectively. An estimated 5.1% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes nearly the entire entering class. At Susquehanna University, mobility is the strongest of the four pillars and affordability the weakest, with return and access clustered near each other in between. (Mobility sits at the 39th percentile and affordability at the 12th percentile.) The four pillars span a wide range, with the strongest and weakest sitting far apart. Azimuth evaluates Susquehanna University across four pillars among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is the strongest, at the 39th percentile. Return and access sit close together, at the 28th and 30th percentiles. Affordability is the weakest pillar, at the 12th percentile. 24.9% of undergraduates at Susquehanna University receive Pell Grants. Those students complete at 68.5%, 13.2 percentage points below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #1,031 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #896 for mobility. Graduates earn about $13,562 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/) Susquehanna University rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #1,305 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 39 **Access & reach** National percentile: 30 **[Affordability](/school/susquehanna-university/cost/)** National percentile: 12 **[Return on investment](/school/susquehanna-university/outcomes/)** National percentile: 28 01 / Susquehanna University briefing ## [Susquehanna University cost & financial aid](/school/susquehanna-university/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) At Susquehanna University, the published annual cost is high, and the average aid recipient still pays more than the comparable-school benchmark after grants and scholarships. The published cost of attendance is $75,410 (an average across living arrangements). Tuition and fees are $59,850, with room and board listed at $16,100. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $28,819. Financial aid offsets $46,591 of the published price on average. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371, leaving Susquehanna $1,448 above that benchmark. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 12th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The above-peer net price and low affordability standing point in the same direction. The published cost of attendance at Susquehanna University is $75,410, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $59,850, and room and board are $16,100. Azimuth ranks the university #1,248 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000) is $19,757, for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) it is $21,171, and for the highest band (over $110,000) it is $33,866. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,109. Aid covers about 62% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $46,591 against the sticker price. The average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $28,819, which is $1,448 above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, $2,801 above the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions. Nearly all undergraduates borrow, with a federal loan share of 97.7%. Parents who borrow through the federal [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $46,359. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month. It estimates your net price and projected debt, letting you weigh the cost against the earnings picture for your intended program. 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**$21,171** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Susquehanna University Federal borrowing is widespread among undergraduates at Susquehanna University, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $27,000. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $24,199, placing the university's median $2,801 above that benchmark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $46,359. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 72% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $47,429 per borrower. That group includes 71% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $25,161 per borrower. It also includes 32% of graduates with private loans, averaging $52,063 per borrower. The investment picture at Susquehanna University shows earnings trailing both the model's expectation and the peer median. The median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled is $58,506 four years after completion. That is $9,744 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that earnings level sits in the 45th percentile. Graduates earn about $13,562 less than the model expects for similar students. That outcome is at the 11th percentile. Earnings scenarios for the program mix are $46,105 on the downside, $58,506 as the typical case, and $81,421 on the upside. The median federal debt for borrowers who finish is $27,000. That amount is $2,801 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $307. For parent borrowers using [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), median borrowing is $46,359, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. 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** $46,359 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $307/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $589/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=susquehanna-university#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/susquehanna-university/cost/) 02 / Susquehanna University briefing ## [Susquehanna University career outcomes & earnings](/school/susquehanna-university/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Susquehanna University’s return figures point to earnings below both the model’s expectation and the comparable-peer midpoint. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,562 less than the model expects for similar students. This [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) measure, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 11th 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 $1,393. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $14,955. Median earnings four years after completion are $58,506, in the 45th percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $68,250, leaving the university $9,744 below it. Both comparisons point to a weaker return picture. Four years after completion, federally aided completers from Susquehanna University, a private nonprofit university in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, earn a median of $58,506. That median falls in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, drawn from an earnings cohort of 605 completers. Graduates earn about $13,562 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) measures the gap between actual pay and what the model predicts for similar students. Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix outline typical earnings at $58,506, a downside scenario of $46,105, and an upside scenario of $81,421. An estimated 36.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The below-expected earnings and that placement both sit below the midpoint for nonprofit four-year institutions, while the upside scenario reflects the pay associated with higher-earning program clusters. At Susquehanna University, return measures point lower than both comparable institutions and the model expects. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $58,506, in the 45th percentile. Comparable institutions in the same type and size have a peer median of $68,250, the middle value for that group; the university’s median is $9,744 below it. Graduates earn about $13,562 less than the model expects for similar students. The earnings-beyond-expectations gap, the difference between graduate earnings and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 11th percentile. Downside and upside earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix are $46,105 and $81,421. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $1,393. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $14,955. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,012. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer comparison and model measure point in the same direction. Program earnings range widely across the fields with the highest listed medians. Accounting awarded 19 degrees and had median earnings of $92,279 four years after completion, or 1.21x the national median for its field. The spread among these programs makes field choice material to the return picture. The program mix points to a wide range of earnings scenarios at Susquehanna University. The downside earnings scenario is $46,105, and the upside scenario is $81,421 four years after completion; these are scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates. Program medians also differ: Accounting reaches $92,279, Economics reaches $82,999, and Marketing reaches $82,070 four years after completion. Those program results help explain the distance between the downside and upside scenarios. At Susquehanna University, borrower debt is above the peer median and the earnings model sets a cautious return picture. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, and Susquehanna University is above it by $2,801. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) is the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. That figure shows that graduates earn about $13,562 less than the model expects for similar students. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $19,757 in the lowest income band, $18,493 in the next band, $21,171 in the middle band, $24,190 in the next-highest band, and $33,866 in the highest band. Debt above peers and lower-than-expected earnings point in the same direction. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$1,393 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$14,955 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$13,562 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/susquehanna-university/outcomes/) 03 / Susquehanna University briefing ## [Susquehanna University acceptance rate & admissions](/school/susquehanna-university/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Susquehanna University admitted 81.4% of applicants, a higher share than the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). For applicants, that comparison describes a broader admission outcome than the peer midpoint, without predicting an individual decision. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 5,339 first-year applicants, 4,222 admitted applicants, and 535 enrolled students. SAT: reported composite scores **Admission rate** 81.4% **25th percentile** 1100 **Median** 1190 **75th percentile** 1290 CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/susquehanna-university/admissions/) 04 / Susquehanna University briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Susquehanna University?](/school/susquehanna-university/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Program earnings at Susquehanna University span markedly different fields four years after completion. Accounting sits at the higher end, with median earnings of $92,279 and 19 degrees awarded. Economics also posts median earnings of $82,999 from 8 degrees awarded. The larger programs show a more moderate range. Biology records median earnings of $55,271 four years after completion, alongside 49 degrees awarded. Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies records $40,989 and 38 degrees awarded. These figures show that the higher-earning business-oriented fields and the more moderate-earning biology and writing fields present different earnings pictures. Business accounts for 24.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, while the largest individual fields show a broad range of median earnings four years after completion. The earnings range across these larger fields makes the choice of field especially consequential here. The degree mix at Susquehanna University leans toward business and the sciences. Business accounts for 24.8% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Biological Sciences next at 16.3% and Communication & Journalism at 12.1%. The university has 16 programs with published four-year earnings data, and the largest by degrees awarded are Psychology (51 degrees awarded), Biology (49), and Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (38). The highest earnings come from a smaller set of programs. Accounting graduates report the highest median, at $92,279 four years after completion, from 19 degrees awarded a year. Economics is next, with median earnings of $82,999 four years after completion and 8 degrees awarded. Marketing, the fourth-largest program overall, earns a median of $82,070 four years after completion with 35 degrees awarded. Finance follows at $79,899 from 28 degrees awarded. The pattern is one of concentration in a few fields, with the best-paid programs sitting inside the business family. 22.2% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields. The largest programs in psychology and writing studies show median earnings below the national median for their fields, at 0.93x and 0.85x respectively. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Psychology, General 51 degrees awarded** $47,367 **Biology, General 49 degrees awarded** $55,271 **Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies 38 degrees awarded** $40,989 **Marketing 35 degrees awarded** $82,070 **Business Administration, Management and Operations 31 degrees awarded** $67,304 **Finance and Financial Management Services 28 degrees awarded** $79,899 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/susquehanna-university/majors/) 05 / Susquehanna University briefing ## How does Susquehanna University serve students from different backgrounds? Susquehanna University records an 81.7% [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for its first-time full-time cohort, with Pell recipients completing at 68.5%, below the overall rate by 13.2 percentage points. Mobility is the strongest of the four measured pillars here, sitting in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 11th percentile. At the four-year mark, graduates earn about $13,562 less than the model expects for similar students. Susquehanna University admits 81.4% of applicants, making entry comparatively open. Its undergraduate enrollment is 2,163 undergraduates, with 24.9% receiving Pell Grants and an estimated 5.1% arriving as transfer-in students. Azimuth places the university's access pillar in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Admission, Pell participation, and transfer entry describe a modest access profile. 06 / Susquehanna University briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Susquehanna University?](/school/susquehanna-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/susquehanna-university/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Susquehanna University. Admissions peerUniversity of Scranton81.2% admitted+ Comparison with Susquehanna University | Measure | Susquehanna University | University of Scranton | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $58,506 | $79,409+$20,903 vs Susquehanna University | | Average annual net price | $28,819 | $32,568+$3,749 vs Susquehanna University · higher cost | | Admission rate | 81.4% | 81.2% | [Explore University of Scranton →](/school/university-of-scranton/) Higher-admission alternativeEast Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania92.1% admitted+ Comparison with Susquehanna University | Measure | Susquehanna University | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $58,506 | $56,971\-$1,535 vs Susquehanna University | | Average annual net price | $28,819 | $18,134\-$10,685 vs Susquehanna University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 81.4% | 92.1% | [Explore East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania →](/school/east-stroudsburg-university-of-pennsylvania/) Nearby alternativeMessiah UniversityNearby option · PA+ Comparison with Susquehanna University | Measure | Susquehanna University | Messiah University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $58,506 | $58,620+$114 vs Susquehanna University | | Average annual net price | $28,819 | $26,502\-$2,317 vs Susquehanna University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 81.4% | 79.0% | Higher-earnings alternativeGwynedd Mercy University$89,170 earnings+ Comparison with Susquehanna University | Measure | Susquehanna University | Gwynedd Mercy University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $58,506 | $89,170+$30,664 vs Susquehanna University | | Average annual net price | $28,819 | $27,483\-$1,336 vs Susquehanna University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 81.4% | 89.6% | Lower-cost alternativeEast Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania$18,134 average net price+ Comparison with Susquehanna University | Measure | Susquehanna University | East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $58,506 | $56,971\-$1,535 vs Susquehanna University | | Average annual net price | $28,819 | $18,134\-$10,685 vs Susquehanna University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 81.4% | 92.1% | [Explore East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania →](/school/east-stroudsburg-university-of-pennsylvania/) Similar profileMessiah UniversityMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Susquehanna University | Measure | Susquehanna University | Messiah University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $58,506 | $58,620+$114 vs Susquehanna University | | Average annual net price | $28,819 | $26,502\-$2,317 vs Susquehanna University · lower cost | | Admission rate | 81.4% | 79.0% | 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/susquehanna-university/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance is 150% of the federal poverty guideline for one person, for the year the API serves. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. The parent table is the 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS as a share of household income above 200% of the guideline for a household of three: under 6% Safe, 6–10% Caution, over 10% High pressure. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)