Quad

Outcomes

What it pays

Former students earn a median $63,191 ten years after enrolling, more than at 74% of colleges; 73% graduate within six years. Four years of net price is about 1.6 years of that salary.

Earnings

Median earnings vs. every college$63.2K
$63.2K
← $24.8Khigher than 74% of 1,762$108.8K →

Earnings climb with time

6 years after entry$55.2K
10 years after entry$63.2K

Staying and finishing

77%

Retention

come back for year two

73%

Graduation

graduate within six years

National median graduation rate: 59%

What graduates owe

Median debt at graduation, federal loans only

$26.9K

According to Valparaiso University's most recent Common Data Set, 69% of its Class of 2025 graduates (386 students) borrowed from any source: federal, institutional, state, or private, averaging $38,847 among those who did.

Counts students who started here as first-time students and earned a bachelor's; the federal median counts federal loans only, including students who left without a degree.

Everyone who starts here, 8 years later

Students who entered in fall 2016, including and part-time students. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students and treats a transfer out as not finishing.

71 of 100 students who start here earn a degree or certificate here within 8 years; 23 more are enrolled at another college. (1,090 students)

Earned a credential within 8 years

All entering students, by whether they had a Pell Grant.

Pell Grant recipients57%
Students without a Pell Grant77%
How long it takes

64 of 100 finish within 4 years, 70 within 6, and 71 within 8.

Earned a credential within4 yrs6 yrs8 yrs
All students64%70%71%
Started in college here62%70%70%
Transferred in71%73%73%

Transfer students' clock starts when they arrive here, not when they first started college.

National median: 60% of all entering students earn a credential at the college they started at within 8 years.

Do lower-income students finish?

Pell Grant recipients: 59%, 19 points below students with no need-based federal aid (78%). First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years; entered fall 2018.

  • Pell Grant recipients235 students

    59% · 19 points below students with neither

  • Subsidized loan, no Pell Grant181 students

    72% · 6 points below students with neither

  • Neither Pell nor subsidized loan340 students

    78% · comparison group

All students in this class: 70%

By race and ethnicity

First-time, full-time students who finished within 6 years, from the College Scorecard's most recent release. Groups under 30 students aren't shown.

  • White566 students

    76% · 6 points above all students

  • Asian15 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • Hispanic/Latino89 students

    62% · 9 points below all students

  • Black40 students

    38% · 33 points below all students

  • Two or more races27 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

  • International5 students

    Not shown: under 30 students

All students (IPEDS, entered fall 2018): 70%

Cost vs. earnings

The 300 most-applied-to colleges plus Valparaiso University. Top-left is lower cost and higher earnings.

PublicPrivateDot size = undergrads

↑ Median earnings 10 years after entry (higher = more)

Lower cost, higher earnings$0$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K$140K$160K$0$10K$20K$30K$40K$50K$60K$70K$80KValparaiso University
Average cost per year, all students (est.) → more expensive

Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;Valparaiso University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Valparaiso University Common Data Set 2025–26, Class of 2025About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)