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 Environmental Science 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.

All majors · Continuum: Environmental Science

Environmental Science: Loan cost vs lifetime upside

Agriculture & Environment · Continuum early $77,000 · mid $107,000

Answer first: At defaults ($30k @ 6.5% APR / 10 yrs), illustrative loan repayment is about $40,877. Environmental Science lifetime earnings upside vs HS-only (~$46.7k BLS baseline, 1.3% real growth) is about $1,486,884 undiscounted over 44 years — net ~$1,446,007 (ratio ~36.4×). Edit inputs live. Not a personal quote.

~15–25 min assessment · free top 3 · optional $29 Pathfinder · Find YOUR fit

Early career$77,000

Mid-career$107,000

HS baseline$46,700BLS ~$899/wk

Your inputs (defaults — edit live)

Principal borrowed ($) Default illustration; replace with your net price / aid package Interest rate (APR %) Illustrative federal-style · not a personal quote Loan term (years) Years in school Career years after graduation Part-time earnings during school ($/yr) Offsets degree-side earnings during school (default $0) HS-only baseline ($/yr) BLS Education Pays median weekly ~$899 → ~$46,700/year

Present value at 6% real (matches NPV articles) Flat HS baseline (no 1.3% growth) — off = 1.3% real/year

Loan cost

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Lifetime upside

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Net benefit

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Monthly payment—

Total interest—

Degree lifetime—

HS counterfactual—

Upside / loan—

Horizon—

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.

FAQ

What does this show for Environmental Science?

Illustrative total loan repayment versus the earnings upside of this major vs a HS-only path, using Continuum early/mid wages ($77,000 → $107,000).

Where does $46,700 come from?

BLS Education Pays median weekly earnings for high-school-only workers (~$899 ≈ $46,700/year). See our opportunity-cost PV article.

Is this a loan quote?

No. Defaults are labeled illustrations. Replace principal with your net price / aid package.

How do I get a fit recommendation?

Free MajorMatch assessment → top 3 free; optional Pathfinder full report $29.

Next: find YOUR fit

Top 3 free after ~15–25 minutes. Optional Pathfinder full report is $29 — no upsell theater.

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