Reed College
Portland, Oregon · Private Nonprofit · 24.6% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 60/100 · Fair Value
Reed College, the famously rigorous Portland liberal arts college, scores 60 on the CampusROI framework and lands in Fair Value tier. Reed's situation is a textbook case of how the federal earnings premium framework underweights graduate-school feeder institutions. Tuition is $69,350, net price $33,013, total 4-year cost $132,052. Median 6-year earnings are $34,800 (low), but 10-year earnings reach $62,927, reflecting the very high graduate-school continuation rate that suppresses early-career wages and lifts them later. The standout subscores are completion rate (71.5%) and three-year repayment rate (87.4%), the latter one of the strongest in the dataset. Payback is 9.7 years, debt-to-earnings is 0.618, median debt is $21,500. Reed produces a disproportionate share of PhDs per capita (especially in chemistry, physics, English, and history), and the Scorecard's 4-year-post-degree earnings window catches most graduates mid-graduate-program rather than mid-career. The federal data systematically understates Reed's long-run earnings outcomes; the 91 repayment subscore is the cleaner read on graduate financial health.
Reed College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $69,350/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $69,350/yr |
| Average net price | $33,013/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $132,052 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $62,927 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,500 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $228 |
| Estimated payback period | 9.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 71.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,320 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The sticker price at Reed College is $69,350/year. But sticker price isn't what most students pay. After grants, scholarships, and financial aid, the average student pays a net price of $33,013/year, or roughly $132,052 over four years.
That net price varies significantly by family income. The lowest-income families (under $30,000/year) pay an average of $12,674/year, while families earning over $110,000 pay $46,711/year.
The median graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loan debt, translating to an estimated monthly payment of $228 on a standard 10-year repayment plan. Against median earnings of $62,927 ten years out, the debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.62 - within the recommended range but worth monitoring.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $12,674 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $12,514 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $14,513 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,421 |
| $110,001+ | $46,711 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $12,674 net, while the $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays slightly less at $12,514, a small inverted-bracket flag likely reflecting how scholarship stacking works for academically strong but lower-need students. For Pell-eligible students who fit Reed academically, this is genuinely accessible pricing for a top-tier private liberal arts education.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $14,513 and the $75,001-$110,000 bracket jumps to $23,421. The middle-income aid curve is well-shaped at the lower end but climbs steeply through the upper middle bracket. Families in the $75-$110K range face the steepest aid drop.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $46,711 net, $22,639 below the $69,350 sticker but the steepest income cliff in this batch. Reed's pricing structure relies on high-income families paying near-sticker. For the wealthiest families, Reed's value case is the intellectual environment plus the graduate-school feeder pipeline; for families just over the $110K line, the cliff is sharp and the math should be compared carefully to alternatives.
Earnings by Major
Top 6 most popular majors at Reed College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | $25,596 | - |
| Linguistic and Comparative Language Studies | $25,561 | D |
| English Language and Literature | $15,790 | F |
| Economics | $92,453 | B |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $30,834 | C |
| Psychology | $36,430 | D |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Economics
Economics graduates 16 students with $53,110 in 1-year earnings and $92,453 at year four. The 0.43 debt-to-earnings ratio earns a B grade against $22,842 of debt. Economics is Reed's strongest non-graduate-feeder major by ROI, with graduates entering finance, consulting, and data-analytics roles where the analytical rigor of the Reed curriculum translates to early-career earnings. Debt is comfortably serviced.
English Language and Literature
English graduates 18 students with $15,790 in 1-year earnings. The 1.235 debt-to-earnings ratio earns an F grade against $19,500 of debt; 4-year earnings are not reported. The year-one figure is dramatic and reflects the typical English-major path post-Reed: graduate school (PhD, MFA), publishing, or early-career editorial roles with subsistence wages. The 4-year window missing is consistent with most of the cohort still being in graduate programs.
Biology
Biology graduates 20 students with $25,596 in 1-year earnings; 4-year earnings and debt data are suppressed. Reed is one of the country's strongest undergraduate feeders to biology PhD and medical-school programs, and the year-one earnings figure reflects research-tech and pre-medical preparation wages. The eventual PhD-track and physician earnings of this cohort would dwarf the Scorecard's measurement window.
Linguistic and Comparative Language Studies
Linguistics graduates 19 students with $25,561 in 1-year earnings and a 0.831 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a D grade against $21,250 of debt. Like other Reed humanities, the year-one figure reflects graduate-school holdouts and entry-level academic-adjacent roles. The major's long-run trajectory is reasonable for students who continue to PhD or specialized industry work; the undergraduate-window data is unflattering.
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Interdisciplinary Studies graduates 16 students with $30,834 in 1-year earnings and a 0.624 debt-to-earnings ratio earning a C grade against $19,250 of debt. The major captures Reed students who custom-built across departments, often for graduate-school preparation. Debt is moderate and the year-one earnings are mid-pack for Reed, consistent with a flexible academic profile feeding into varied early-career paths.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 85.0% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 87.4% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 88.5% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 90.4% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 24.6% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 610-770 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 680-750 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 30-34 |
| Enrollment | 1,320 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 14.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $12,578 |
Reed admits 24.6% of applicants, making it the most selective school in this batch by a wide margin. SAT mid-ranges are 610-770 in math and 680-750 in reading; ACT composites are 30-34. The combination of high admit selectivity and a 71.5% completion rate confirms Reed is admitting and matching well-prepared students who fit the institution's distinctive academic culture (thesis-driven undergraduate research, narrative evaluations alongside letter grades, intense intellectual focus). Prepared students who fit the culture finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Reed's Scorecard peer set is poorly matched. George Fox and Walla Walla are Oregon and Washington Christian privates with no useful comparison to Reed's secular intellectual culture. New Hope Christian College, AdventHealth, and Southern Nazarene are similarly mismatched. The relevant peer set for Reed is selective liberal arts colleges (Swarthmore, Carleton, Grinnell, Bowdoin) that the dataset's peer-finder did not surface. Among that true peer set, Reed scores lower on earnings premium because of the graduate-school feeder effect; among the federal-peer set listed, Reed is the highest-scoring institution by a wide margin.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reed College (this school) | 60 | $33,013 | $62,927 |
| AdventHealth University | 63 | $30,135 | $72,282 |
| Walla Walla University | 62 | $23,329 | $61,885 |
| George Fox University | 57 | $31,679 | $59,761 |
| Southern Nazarene University | 55 | $22,084 | $54,951 |
| New Hope Christian College-Eugene | 22 | $21,600 | $31,115 |
Who Thrives Here
Reed fits academically prepared students with intellectual ambitions, often planning graduate work in academic disciplines, science PhD programs, or law school. With 1,320 students and a 14.6% Pell rate, the campus skews academic and middle-to-upper-income. Strong fits are students who thrive in seminar-driven, thesis-focused undergraduate environments and who can absorb the cost via Reed's strong need-based aid. Weaker fits are students seeking pre-professional credentialing or terminal undergraduate career launches; Reed's data on year-one earnings will look bad to such students.
The Verdict: A Reasonable Bet - With Caveats
Reed College offers fair financial value, though the ROI depends heavily on individual circumstances. The net cost of $33,013 per year leads to $132,052 over four years, while graduates earn a median of $62,927 a decade out. The payback period of 9.7 years is about average - not bad, but not a standout either.
The data highlights several strengths: a 71.5% graduation rate, high loan repayment success.
Median debt of $21,500 against $62,927 in earnings is reasonable, though major choice matters significantly. Students in higher-earning programs will see better returns.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.