COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · MORROW, GA

Is Clayton State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Clayton State University degree clears +$1.29M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Morrow, Georgia, priced as a Georgia resident — earnings rolled up from 21 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.

Clayton State University · Morrow, GA

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.29M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$921K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$52,245
Breaks even by age
47
Annual tuition · Georgia resident
$5,068
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$15,790
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$64,688
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$107,576
FREOPP program coverage
21 programs

The out-of-state tax in Georgia, ranked

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

Clayton State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Georgia’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 21 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 Clayton State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Clayton State University clears +$1.29M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $64,688 and median earnings of $52,245 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 Clayton State University?
Clayton State University's annual sticker tuition is $5,068 for Georgia residents and $15,790 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $64,688 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Clayton State University?
Over 4 years, Clayton State University's sticker cost of attendance is $64,688 at resident pricing, or $107,576 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Georgia prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $52,245.
What is out-of-state tuition at Clayton State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Clayton State University is $15,790, versus $5,068 for Georgia residents — a premium of $10,722 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Clayton State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Clayton State University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 47 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.29M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Clayton State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Clayton State University as a Georgia resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$921K, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Georgia). 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 Clayton State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/clayton-state-university