HEAD-TO-HEAD · 30-YEAR ROI

Boston College vs University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame clears +$2.49M in 30-year net value, Boston College +$1.33M — both pay off, University of Notre Dame by +$1.15M.

Two cross-admit private universities at the tuition they charge everyone (in-state and out-of-state are identical at a private). Same sticker, same admit pool — a clean head-to-head.

IPEDS 2023 tuition · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · their (identical) published tuition · same model as /worth-it · both schools NPV-positive.

Boston College · Chestnut Hill, MA

30-year net value
+$1.33M
Total cost of attendance
$344,620
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$81,762
Breaks even by age
49

University of Notre Dame · Notre Dame, IN

clears more

30-year net value
+$2.49M
Total cost of attendance
$320,284
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$86,472
Breaks even by age
38
How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Each school runs through the /worth-it model at its published tuition (identical in-state and out-of-state at a private), with the same loan assumptions, the same 30-year horizon, and each state’s own cost-of-living. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of the degree over that horizon, in real dollars — the same figure the calculator headlines.

We only publish pairs where both schools clear positive net value, so the comparison is “both pay off, one clears more,” never “this school is a bad bet.” Earnings are rolled up from at least three FREOPP programs per school (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t distort the number.

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Boston College vs University of Notre Dame: 30-year ROI head-to-head.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/compare/bc-vs-notre-dame

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Questions

Is Boston College or University of Notre Dame a better return on investment?
On a 30-year net-value basis at their (identical) published tuition, University of Notre Dame clears +$2.49M and Boston College +$1.33M — both are solidly positive, so neither is a bad bet; University of Notre Dame comes out ahead by +$1.15M. Figures from IPEDS 2023 tuition, FREOPP 2021 earnings, and BEA 2023 cost-of-living, run through the same model as the LE TEEN calculator.
How much more does University of Notre Dame pay off than Boston College?
About +$1.15M over a 30-year horizon (+$2.49M vs +$1.33M in projected net value). That gap reflects each school's net price and its graduates' median earnings — not a judgment that either degree fails to pay off, since both clear positive.
What is the 30-year net value of a degree from Boston College?
+$1.33M at their (identical) published tuition — total cost of attendance $344,620, median earnings ten years out $81,762, breaking even around age 49. Run your own assumptions on the /worth-it calculator.