COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · AUBURN, AL

Is Auburn University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Auburn University degree clears +$2.20M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Auburn, Alabama, priced as a Alabama resident — earnings rolled up from 57 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Auburn University · Auburn, AL

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$2.20M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$1.47M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$63,655
Breaks even by age
35
Annual tuition · Alabama resident
$12,536
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$33,944
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$111,728
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$197,360
FREOPP program coverage
57 programs

The out-of-state tax in Alabama, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Auburn University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Alabama’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 57 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Auburn University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Auburn University clears +$2.20M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $111,728 and median earnings of $63,655 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Auburn University?
Auburn University's annual sticker tuition is $12,536 for Alabama residents and $33,944 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $111,728 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Auburn University?
Over 4 years, Auburn University's sticker cost of attendance is $111,728 at resident pricing, or $197,360 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Alabama prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $63,655.
What is out-of-state tuition at Auburn University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Auburn University is $33,944, versus $12,536 for Alabama residents — a premium of $21,408 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Auburn University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Auburn University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 35 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$2.20M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Auburn University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Auburn University as a Alabama resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$1.47M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Alabama). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Auburn University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/auburn-university