What does this Loan vs Upside calculator show?

It compares illustrative total student-loan repayment for a bachelor's path against the lifetime earnings upside of a college major versus a high-school-only counterfactual, using Continuum early/mid wages and labeled defaults.

Where does the $46,700 high-school baseline come from?

BLS Education Pays median weekly earnings for workers with a high school diploma only (~$899/week ≈ $46,700/year). Documented on every calculator page and in our opportunity-cost PV article.

Are the loan numbers a personal quote?

No. Defaults ($30,000 principal, 6.5% APR, 10-year term) are illustrative federal-style assumptions. Replace them with your net price and aid package.

Is lifetime upside discounted?

By default we show undiscounted illustrative lifetime totals for clarity. Toggle present value at 6% real to match our NPV articles.

How do I get a major fit recommendation?

Take the free MajorMatch assessment (~15–25 min) for a free top-3 fit. Optional Pathfinder full report is $29.

Loan vs Upside Calculators — 77 Majors

Answer first: At defaults ($30k borrowed @ 6.5% APR for 10 years), total loan repayment is about $40,877. Pick a major to compare that cost against Continuum-based lifetime upside vs a HS-only path ($46,700 BLS baseline, 1.3% real growth). Sorted below by mid-career pay with net-benefit previews. Not personal quotes.

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Default illustration (editable on each major page)

Principal $30,000 — replace with your net price / aid package
Rate 6.5% APR illustrative federal-style · Term 10 years
School 4 years · Career after grad 40 years
HS counterfactual: $46,700 with 1.3% real/year growth

How the math works

Loan cost (total repayment): standard amortizing loan — monthly payment × months = total paid; interest = total − principal.
Lifetime earnings with degree (illustrative): linear ramp from early-career to mid-career wage over the first 15 years after graduation, then mid-career wage with gentle 0.5% real growth for remaining career years. Default view is undiscounted illustrative lifetime; optional PV at 6% real.
Counterfactual HS-only: $46,700 baseline × (years in school + career years) with 1.3% real/year growth (same spirit as our NPV analysis). Labeled and consistent across majors.
Upside: degree lifetime earnings − HS counterfactual over the same horizon (includes school years; degree side uses optional part-time earnings during school, default $0).
Net loan-to-upside: Upside − total loan repayment. Ratio = Upside ÷ Loan cost.

Wages come only from our Major Earnings Continuum data.json (early/mid). Replace loan defaults with your net price / aid package. Not a personalized quote.

Loan cost vs lifetime upside

Default illustration (editable on each major page)

How the math works

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