1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Wilmington College Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Wilmington College OH · Small private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #1211 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/wilmington-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/wilmington-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/wilmington-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/wilmington-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/wilmington-college/similar/) ## Azimuth places Wilmington College in the 17th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. ### Who it’s a good fit for Wilmington College is a private nonprofit university in Wilmington, Ohio, where Business and Agriculture & Natural Resources lead the degree mix. Affordability is the strongest pillar, though it sits modestly below average. Graduates earn less than the model predicts for students like them. The model attributes that gap to the factors it measures, which subtracts from expected earnings, and to a remainder it cannot explain, which also subtracts. Return is modestly below average. Pell recipients complete at a rate above the overall cohort, and mobility is modestly below average. The average net price for the lowest income band sits below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it. The admission rate is above the median for comparable institutions, 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 smaller. ## Wilmington College at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 92.4% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 47.3% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $52,364 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** $21,559 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $24,208 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $27,288 ## Wilmington College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Wilmington College is a private nonprofit university in Wilmington, Ohio, enrolling 1,006 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the lower fifth of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (17th percentile). The university admits 92.4% of applicants, a rate well above the 75.7% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of students who start full time, 72.0% return for a second year, against a peer median of 74.2%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time full-time cohort is 47.3%, compared with a peer median of 54.9%. An estimated 33.2% of entrants are not first-time full-time students. The six-year rate counts only those who start full time here. The four pillars sit close together, all in the lower third of the ranking. Affordability is the strongest, at the 33rd percentile, and access is the weakest, at the 26th percentile. Mobility and return sit between them, at the 32nd and 28th percentiles. Affordability is the strongest part of Wilmington College’s Azimuth profile, though no pillar reaches the middle of the national distribution. Access is the weakest area, making the overall profile more constrained than the affordability result alone suggests. Azimuth places affordability in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is in the 32nd percentile, return in the 28th percentile, and access in the 26th percentile. Affordability and mobility sit somewhat ahead of return and access, but the gaps are limited. 38.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Among those who submitted test scores, the middle 50% of SAT scores fell between 850 and 1,220. The middle 50% of ACT scores ranged from 16 to 23. Azimuth ranks Wilmington College #1,082 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 57.5%, which is 10.2 percentage points above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #995 for mobility. Graduates earn about $2,960 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/) Wilmington College rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #1,211 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 32 **Access & reach** National percentile: 26 **[Affordability](/school/wilmington-college/cost/)** National percentile: 33 **[Return on investment](/school/wilmington-college/outcomes/)** National percentile: 28 01 / Wilmington College briefing ## [Wilmington College cost & financial aid](/school/wilmington-college/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) At Wilmington College, the published annual budget is $43,431 (an average across living arrangements), but aid recipients face a lower average price. Tuition and fees are $32,082, and room and board are $11,923. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $24,153, with average aid reducing the published price by $19,278. For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $22,347; Wilmington College’s average is above that figure by $1,806. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid makes a sizeable difference from the published price, though the average aid-recipient cost remains above the peer median. The published cost of attendance at Wilmington College is $43,431, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $32,082 and room and board are $11,923. Azimuth ranks the university #948 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 $19,820 for families earning under $30,000, $21,434 for those earning $30,001 to $48,000, $21,559 for the $48,001 to $75,000 band, $27,017 for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, and $27,149 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,329. Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $24,153. That figure is $1,806 above the peer median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,208 in federal student loans, $792 below the peer median of $25,000. Nearly all students borrow: 95.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $27,288 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 $275 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**$21,559** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. ### Borrowing and repayment at Wilmington College Borrowing is widespread at Wilmington College, where 95.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $24,208. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $25,000, and the university's figure is $792 below it. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $275 a month if repaid over ten years. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $27,288. Affordability is Wilmington College's strongest pillar, but its return figures warrant a separate look. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $52,364 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 24th 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, sit in the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,960 less than the model expects for similar students. The earnings scenarios range from $45,343 in a downside case to $63,071 in an upside case, with $52,364 as the typical scenario. Median federal debt is $24,208, compared with $25,000 at comparable institutions (same type and size), leaving Wilmington's figure $792 below the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $275 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: debt sits below peers, while earnings fall short of model expectations. [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing among parent borrowers has a median of $27,288 and is separate from student federal loans. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $275 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** $24,208 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $27,288 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $275/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $347/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=wilmington-college#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/wilmington-college/cost/) 02 / Wilmington College briefing ## [Wilmington College career outcomes & earnings](/school/wilmington-college/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Wilmington College’s four-year earnings sit below the middle value for comparable institutions, a return picture that also falls short of the model’s expectation. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,960 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, stands in the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures subtracts $2,280. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $680. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $52,364 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 24th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions of the same type and size, is $55,915, leaving Wilmington $3,551 below it. The peer comparison and modeled expectation both point to below-benchmark earnings. At Wilmington College, the schoolwide earnings picture is modest: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $52,364 four years after completion. Azimuth places that measure in the 24th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, using an earnings cohort of 426 completers. Graduates earn about $2,960 less than the model expects for similar students. The typical modeled scenario matches the observed median, though it is a scenario based on program mix rather than an observed group. An estimated 21.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The earnings result and the model both point to the same schoolwide level, while graduate study represents a separate modeled path after completion. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $52,364, placing them at the 24th percentile. That is $3,551 below the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Wilmington College #1,062 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,960 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) sit at the 43rd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $2,280. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $680. Within the measured factors, the STEM component subtracts $731. Wilmington College awards only 5.6% of its degrees in STEM fields, with most degrees going to business, agriculture, and parks, recreation and fitness. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $45,343 on the downside to $63,071 on the upside. An estimated 21.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. At Wilmington College, earnings scenarios show how earnings can differ across the program mix. The model places its lower earnings scenario at $45,343 and its upper scenario at $63,071, a range rather than results for separate observed groups. Among fields with higher published medians four years after completion, Accounting records $64,377, Business Administration and Management records $62,449, and Allied Health Professions records $56,044. The Accounting figure sits above the upper modeled scenario, showing that field-level results can extend beyond the schoolwide range. Wilmington College has a mixed cost-and-return picture: its average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $24,153. That figure is above the $22,347 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $1,806. Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $24,208, below the $25,000 peer median by $792. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $275 a month if repaid over ten years. [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, provide a second return measure. Graduates earn about $2,960 less than the model expects for similar students. Debt sits below comparable peers, but net price and earnings beyond expectations point in less favorable directions. What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** \-$2,280 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$680 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$2,960 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/wilmington-college/outcomes/) 03 / Wilmington College briefing ## [Wilmington College acceptance rate & admissions](/school/wilmington-college/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Admission is broadly available at Wilmington College, where 92.4% of applicants to the reported entering class were admitted. This rate sits above the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size), so the school’s admissions outcome was higher than the midpoint for its comparison group. SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Admission rate** 92.4% **Approximate lower endpoint** 850 **Reported average** 1029 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1220 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/wilmington-college/admissions/) 04 / Wilmington College briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Wilmington College?](/school/wilmington-college/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) Program earnings differ materially at Wilmington College, so field choice shapes the return picture more than a single schoolwide figure can. Accounting sits at the higher end, with median earnings of $64,377 four years after completion from 11 degrees awarded. Business Administration and Management, the larger award program in this group, records $62,449 from 76 degrees awarded. Allied Health Professions has median earnings of $56,044 across 13 degrees awarded. More moderate earnings appear in Agricultural Business and Management: $52,319 four years after completion and 62 degrees awarded. These fields span higher and moderate earnings, with award volumes varying across them. Business accounts for 29.1% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, giving the program mix a clear center of gravity. Agriculture & Natural Resources represents 20.7% of bachelor’s degrees awarded, followed by Parks, Recreation & Fitness at 13.4%. Among the fields with published earnings, Accounting had median earnings of $64,377 four years after completion and awarded 11 degrees. The reported outcomes vary by field, so the program pages matter more than the family mix alone. The program mix at Wilmington College is concentrated in a few applied fields. Business accounts for 29.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Agriculture & Natural Resources next at 20.7% and Parks, Recreation & Fitness at 13.4%. The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, at 76 degrees awarded, followed by Agricultural Business and Management with 62 and Kinesiology and Physical Education with 40. Across the college, 7 programs have published four-year earnings data, and 5.6% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields. The highest-earning program is Accounting, where graduates earn a median of $64,377 four years after completion, from 11 degrees awarded. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, has a median of $62,449 and a benchmark ratio of 0.92x against the national median for its field. Allied Health Professions graduates earn $56,044 from 13 degrees awarded. Agricultural Business and Management earns $52,319 from a larger base of degrees awarded. The pattern is one where the largest programs and those with higher earnings largely overlap, with business and agricultural management appearing in both lists. The benchmark ratios show earnings below the national medians for their fields. The small STEM share coincides with an earnings picture shaped by a handful of applied programs rather than a broad technical base. All benchmark ratios cited for these programs fall below the national median for their fields. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Business Administration, Management and Operations 76 degrees awarded** $62,449 **Agricultural Business and Management 62 degrees awarded** $52,319 **Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness 40 degrees awarded** $49,559 **Education, General 30 degrees awarded** $43,077 **Psychology, General 16 degrees awarded** $42,018 **Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 13 degrees awarded** $56,044 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/wilmington-college/majors/) 05 / Wilmington College briefing ## How does Wilmington College serve students from different backgrounds? Affordability is Wilmington College's strongest measured pillar, while its mobility results are more limited. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time full-time cohort is 47.3%, and Pell recipients complete within six years at 57.5%, above the overall rate by 10.2 percentage points. Azimuth places the mobility pillar in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. On [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, graduates earn about $2,960 less than the model expects for similar students, placing the measure in the 43rd percentile. Wilmington College has a high admission rate of 92.4%, with 1,006 undergraduates enrolled. Pell Grant recipients make up 38.9% of undergraduates, and an estimated 33.2% enter after beginning elsewhere. Azimuth places the access pillar in the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Broad admission, Pell participation, and transfer entry describe the routes into this private nonprofit university. 06 / Wilmington College briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Wilmington College?](/school/wilmington-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/wilmington-college/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Wilmington College. Admissions peerWright State University-Main Campus96.3% admitted+ Comparison with Wilmington College | Measure | Wilmington College | Wright State University-Main Campus | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $52,364 | $62,601+$10,237 vs Wilmington College | | Average annual net price | $24,153 | $15,415\-$8,738 vs Wilmington College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 92.4% | 96.3% | [Explore Wright State University-Main Campus →](/school/wright-state-university-main-campus/) Nearby alternativeMount Vernon Nazarene UniversityNearby option · OH+ Comparison with Wilmington College | Measure | Wilmington College | Mount Vernon Nazarene University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $52,364 | $53,516+$1,152 vs Wilmington College | | Average annual net price | $24,153 | $22,421\-$1,732 vs Wilmington College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 92.4% | 84.2% | Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Cincinnati-Main Campus$72,188 earnings+ Comparison with Wilmington College | Measure | Wilmington College | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $52,364 | $72,188+$19,824 vs Wilmington College | | Average annual net price | $24,153 | $25,648+$1,495 vs Wilmington College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 92.4% | 85.3% | [Explore University of Cincinnati-Main Campus →](/school/university-of-cincinnati-main-campus/) Lower-cost alternativeWilberforce University$5,567 average net price+ Comparison with Wilmington College | Measure | Wilmington College | Wilberforce University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $52,364 | $45,958\-$6,406 vs Wilmington College | | Average annual net price | $24,153 | $5,567\-$18,586 vs Wilmington College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 92.4% | 40.5% | Similar profileBethel UniversityMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Wilmington College | Measure | Wilmington College | Bethel University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $52,364 | $53,289+$925 vs Wilmington College | | Average annual net price | $24,153 | $18,610\-$5,543 vs Wilmington College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 92.4% | 97.7% | [Explore Bethel University →](/school/bethel-university-in/) 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/wilmington-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/)