Is University of Connecticut-Avery Point Worth It?

University of Connecticut-Avery Point gives you a strong financial return. You pay a net price near $11,500 a year and land at median earnings around $74,000 a decade later, while carrying median debt of $21,500. That debt sits below one year of typical earnings, which is the number that keeps repayment manageable.

The payoff concentrates in engineering and nursing. Industrial engineering leads at over $82,000, followed by computer science near $79,500, and computer engineering and electrical engineering both clear $70,000. Registered nursing pays about $70,800 with the lowest debt among the top programs at $20,313, so its cost-to-earnings ratio is the best of the bunch. Computer science, by contrast, carries $25,000 in debt for slightly higher pay. If you pick one of these five majors, the math works. No other program-level earnings are listed here, so a degree outside engineering and nursing is unproven ground on the numbers available.

The main risk is completion. A 57% graduation rate means close to half of students don't finish on time here, and debt without a degree is the worst outcome the data points to. The 80% retention rate is the number to watch first, since it tells you whether you're likely to make it past year one.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families. If your family earns under $30,000, you pay about $4,820. from $30,000 to $48,000, roughly $7,000. Above $110,000, the price jumps to nearly $20,900, close to four times the lowest tier. This school is a good fit if you're aiming for engineering or nursing and qualify for the lower price tiers. If you're in the top income bracket and want a major outside the listed programs, weigh other options.