Pega6 students come out over $100,000 ahead of college grads.
pega6 grads build net worth early
while college students borrow heavily . . .
(continue scrolling to see the breakdown)
Year one
For the first year after graduating high school, pega6 students and university students both invest in their post-secondary educations.
Pega6 students: -$34k
$15k tuition + $3k laptop + $16k room & board*
College students: -$21k
Tuition + room & board, net of grants and scholarships**
(keep scrolling; you’re going to love it)
* Source: 2021-2022 academic year; pega6 synthesis of data from the National Center for Education Statistics (table 330.40).
** Source: 2021-2022 academic year; tuition source is the National Center for Education Statistics (table 331.30), adjusted to also include tuition of students who don’t receive financial aid; financial aid sources are the National Center for Education Statistics (tables 331.20 and 331.30).
Divergent paths
For the next three years, pega6 grads begin their climb in life, while college students continue digging a hole.
Pega6 students: +$43k*
Pega6 students graduate and begin their careers, earning $80k-$90k per year**, and are able to begin building their net worth immediately.
College students: -$76k
University students spend three more years at college paying $24k-$27k per year.^
(keep scrolling; it gets even better)
* Assumes an annual savings rate of 15% of gross salary.
** Source: average of the national averages from Glassdoor, Salary.com, BuiltIn, Indeed (as of 11.14.25) as well as pega6 estimates.
^ Includes accumulation of principal and interest at 6.25%.
$100,000+ ahead
The low cost of pega6 combined with the high graduate earnings that start three years earlier than college grads lead to an incredibly attractive ROI relative to college and on an stand-alone basis.
Pega6 students: +$3k net worth
After one year paying for pega6 and then saving $43k over the next three years, pega6 grads will have a positive net worth by the time the college student graduates in four years.
College students: -$99k net worth
Whereas the average college student will have paid (or borrowed) nearly $100k over that same time period.
(one more scroll; the best is yet to come)
Long-term net worth difference is staggering
If you extrapolate each student’s net worth 10 years after college and at retirement (age 60), the pega6 grad . . . well . . . just check it out for yourself.*
10 YEARS
Pega6 grad +$280,000
Ten years after the college student graduates, their net worth is $70k, while a pega6 grad will have already built a net worth of over $350,000.
RETIREMENT
Pega6 grad +$5,000,000
By the time both students reach the age of 60, the pega6 grad will have a net worth over $5.0MM greater than the college graduate.
Note: All figures assume an annual savings rate of 15% of gross salary (net of any debt payments), annual rate of return of 10%, average annual salary raise of 7.5% (salary cap of $500k), and that each graduate earns the same salary at the same points their careers (e.g., at 5 years in the workforce, 10 years, 20 years, etc.).