COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · KEARNEY, NE

Is University of Nebraska at Kearney worth the money?

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

A public four-year school in Kearney, Nebraska, priced as a Nebraska resident — earnings rolled up from 22 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.

University of Nebraska at Kearney · Kearney, NE

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.29M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$1.03M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$51,673
Breaks even by age
47
Annual tuition · Nebraska resident
$8,270
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$15,920
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$80,824
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$111,424
FREOPP program coverage
22 programs

The out-of-state tax in Nebraska, ranked

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

University of Nebraska at Kearney runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Nebraska’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 22 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 University of Nebraska at Kearney worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: University of Nebraska at Kearney 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 $80,824 and median earnings of $51,673 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 University of Nebraska at Kearney?
University of Nebraska at Kearney's annual sticker tuition is $8,270 for Nebraska residents and $15,920 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $80,824 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of University of Nebraska at Kearney?
Over 4 years, University of Nebraska at Kearney's sticker cost of attendance is $80,824 at resident pricing, or $111,424 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Nebraska prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $51,673.
What is out-of-state tuition at University of Nebraska at Kearney?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at University of Nebraska at Kearney is $15,920, versus $8,270 for Nebraska residents — a premium of $7,650 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, University of Nebraska at Kearney clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a University of Nebraska at Kearney 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 University of Nebraska at Kearney?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices University of Nebraska at Kearney as a Nebraska resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$1.03M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Nebraska). 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 University of Nebraska at Kearney worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/university-of-nebraska-at-kearney