COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · STEPHENVILLE, TX

Is Tarleton State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Tarleton State University degree clears +$1.53M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Stephenville, Texas, priced as a Texas resident — earnings rolled up from 35 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.

Tarleton State University · Stephenville, TX

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.53M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$1.19M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$55,971
Breaks even by age
41
Annual tuition · Texas resident
$7,878
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$17,958
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$74,896
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$115,216
FREOPP program coverage
35 programs

The out-of-state tax in Texas, ranked

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

Tarleton State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Texas’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 35 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 Tarleton State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Tarleton State University clears +$1.53M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $74,896 and median earnings of $55,971 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 Tarleton State University?
Tarleton State University's annual sticker tuition is $7,878 for Texas residents and $17,958 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $74,896 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Tarleton State University?
Over 4 years, Tarleton State University's sticker cost of attendance is $74,896 at resident pricing, or $115,216 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Texas prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $55,971.
What is out-of-state tuition at Tarleton State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Tarleton State University is $17,958, versus $7,878 for Texas residents — a premium of $10,080 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Tarleton State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Tarleton State University degree pays for itself?
The degree path overtakes the skip-college path around age 41 under our defaults — from there the gap only widens, ending +$1.53M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Tarleton State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Tarleton State University as a Texas resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$1.19M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Texas). 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 Tarleton State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/tarleton-state-university