HEAD-TO-HEAD · 30-YEAR ROI

Brown University vs Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College clears +$2.47M in 30-year net value, Brown University +$1.38M — both pay off, Dartmouth College by +$1.09M.

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.

Brown University · Providence, RI

30-year net value
+$1.38M
Total cost of attendance
$339,312
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$79,915
Breaks even by age
48

Dartmouth College · Hanover, NH

clears more

30-year net value
+$2.47M
Total cost of attendance
$338,080
Median earnings · 10 yrs out
$92,442
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). “Brown University vs Dartmouth College: 30-year ROI head-to-head.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/compare/brown-vs-dartmouth

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Questions

Is Brown University or Dartmouth College a better return on investment?
On a 30-year net-value basis at their (identical) published tuition, Dartmouth College clears +$2.47M and Brown University +$1.38M — both are solidly positive, so neither is a bad bet; Dartmouth College comes out ahead by +$1.09M. 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 Dartmouth College pay off than Brown University?
About +$1.09M over a 30-year horizon (+$2.47M vs +$1.38M 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 Brown University?
+$1.38M at their (identical) published tuition — total cost of attendance $339,312, median earnings ten years out $79,915, breaking even around age 48. Run your own assumptions on the /worth-it calculator.