COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · DAYTON, OH

Is Wright State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Wright State University degree clears +$1.54M in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Dayton, Ohio, priced as a Ohio resident — earnings rolled up from 38 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.

Wright State University · Dayton, OH

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$1.54M
30-year net value · non-resident
+$1.22M
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$55,265
Breaks even by age
41
Annual tuition · Ohio resident
$10,614
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$20,032
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$86,056
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$123,728
FREOPP program coverage
38 programs

The out-of-state tax in Ohio, ranked

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

Wright State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Ohio’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 38 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 Wright State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Wright State University clears +$1.54M in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $86,056 and median earnings of $55,265 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 Wright State University?
Wright State University's annual sticker tuition is $10,614 for Ohio residents and $20,032 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $86,056 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Wright State University?
Over 4 years, Wright State University's sticker cost of attendance is $86,056 at resident pricing, or $123,728 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Ohio prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $55,265.
What is out-of-state tuition at Wright State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Wright State University is $20,032, versus $10,614 for Ohio residents — a premium of $9,418 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Wright State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Wright 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 +$1.54M ahead at the 30-year horizon.
What could change the number for Wright State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Wright State University as a Ohio resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$1.22M, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Ohio). 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 Wright State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/wright-state-university