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Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/macalester-college/majors/geography","ids":{"ipeds_unitid":173902,"cip4":"45.07","school_slug":"macalester-college","major_slug":"geography"},"school":{"name":"Macalester College","city":"Saint Paul","state":"MN","control":"Private nonprofit","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/macalester-college","data":"https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/macalester-college.json"},"major":{"name":"Geography","area":"Social Sciences & Public Service","credential":"Bachelor's degree"},"outcomes":{"median_earnings_1yr":30053,"median_earnings_4yr":52557,"median_debt":19049,"debt_to_earnings_4yr":0.362,"year":{"earnings_1yr":"Treasury AY2018-19, AY2019-20 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars","earnings_4yr":"Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars","debt":"NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort"},"source":"College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)"},"national":{"colleges_reporting":116,"median_earnings_4yr":57751,"median_debt":22851},"compared_with_same_major":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","state":{"geography":"MN","colleges_reporting":4,"median_earnings_4yr":54844,"difference":-2287},"us":{"colleges_reporting":116,"median_earnings_4yr":57751,"difference":-5194},"note":"State and U.S. medians are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major (4 years after graduating); a state median is published when at least 3 colleges in the state report earnings."},"value":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","time_to_finish":{"average_years_among_graduates":4.11,"finished_in_4_years":0.8155,"finished_within_6_years":0.9041,"cohort":542,"entering_class":"Fall 2017","source":"IPEDS Graduation Rates (bachelor's-seeking cohort)"},"baseline":{"median_earnings_high_school_graduates":38184,"geography":"MN","ages":"25-34","years":"2020-2024","respondents":4950,"description":"high school graduates ages 25-34 in MN (Census ACS 2020-2024)","source":"U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year PUMS (microdata): ages 25-34, high school diploma or GED as highest level, not enrolled, earnings > 0; EducationGuide calculation"},"earnings_used":52557,"earnings_basis":"median earnings of this major's graduates 4 years after graduating (College Scorecard field of study); school-wide net price","by_family_income":{"0-30k":{"net_price_per_year":13772,"cost_to_finish":56603,"payback_years":3.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"3.9 years"},"30-48k":{"net_price_per_year":11982,"cost_to_finish":49246,"payback_years":3.4,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"3.4 years"},"48-75k":{"net_price_per_year":11098,"cost_to_finish":45613,"payback_years":3.2,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"3.2 years"},"75-110k":{"net_price_per_year":20527,"cost_to_finish":84366,"payback_years":5.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"5.9 years"},"110k+":{"net_price_per_year":44880,"cost_to_finish":184457,"payback_years":12.8,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"12.8 years"}},"method":"cost_to_finish = max(0, net price per year) x average years graduates took; payback_years = cost_to_finish / (earnings_used - baseline), one decimal; status over_cap above 20 years, no_premium when earnings do not exceed the baseline. 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