# College ROI
> Free, keyless access to LE TEEN's College ROI data: the 30-year net present value (NPV) of a degree at the U.S. four-year colleges LE TEEN covers, the lifetime return on investment (ROI) of every bachelor's major category and subfield, and its rankings of each state's best-value colleges, out-of-state tuition penalties and the worst-ROI majors. No account or API key required.
App · Misc References · 7 actions. Web page: https://docs.lodol.com/docs/integrations/le-teen
## Actions
### Get best-value colleges
Get each state's best-value four-year colleges at resident pricing, ranked by 30-year net present value (NPV): up to 15 per state, for all 50 states and DC. Choose a state by its code or name (for example, CA or California) for just that state's list. LE TEEN ranks some colleges it does not cover in detail; Get one college will not find those.
**Inputs**
- State (`state`, text): A state, by its two-letter code or its name (for example, CA or California), for just that state's list. Leave empty for every state.
**Outputs**
- `colleges` (list): Every listed college, best value first within its state, each tagged with its state.
- `count` (number): With a state chosen, how many colleges its list holds; with none, how many states are listed.
- `description` (text): LE TEEN's description of the ranking.
- `meta` (object): Where the data comes from and how to cite it; every answer carries one.
- `page_url` (text): The ranking's page on le-teen.com.
- `state` (text): The chosen state's code, or null for every state.
- `state_name` (text): The chosen state's name, or null for every state.
- `states` (list): Each state with its own list; just the chosen one when a state was given.
- `title` (text): LE TEEN's title for the ranking.
**Example output**
```json
{
"colleges": [
{
"city": "Laramie",
"control": "public",
"institution": "University of Wyoming",
"npv_30yr_resident_usd": 1618801,
"rank_in_state": 1,
"state": "WY",
"state_name": "Wyoming"
}
],
"count": 1,
"description": "Wyoming's own four-year schools at resident pricing, ranked by 30-year projected net value \u2014 top 15. Only NPV-positive schools with real FREOPP earnings coverage appear.",
"meta": {
"attribution": "Data: LE TEEN \u2014 le-teen.com \u2014 college ROI, decoded",
"attribution_html": "Data: LE TEEN (CC BY 4.0)",
"cite": "LE TEEN (2026). College ROI Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"data_vintage": "IPEDS 2023 \u00b7 FREOPP 2021 \u00b7 BEA 2023",
"doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"generated": "2026-06-16",
"license": "CC-BY-4.0",
"source": "LE TEEN",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/api/v1/rankings/best-value/wy.json"
},
"page_url": "https://le-teen.com/rankings/best-value/wy",
"state": "WY",
"state_name": "Wyoming",
"states": [
{
"colleges": [
{
"city": "Laramie",
"control": "public",
"institution": "University of Wyoming",
"npv_30yr_resident_usd": 1618801,
"rank_in_state": 1
}
],
"page_url": "https://le-teen.com/rankings/best-value/wy",
"state": "WY",
"state_name": "Wyoming"
}
],
"title": "Best-value colleges in Wyoming"
}
```
### Get one college
Look up one covered college by its name, slug or le-teen.com link (for example, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor) and return its 30-year net present value (NPV) at resident and non-resident pricing, total cost of attendance, median earnings 10 years after entry, break-even age and location. A college LE TEEN does not cover fails, naming close matches when there are any; List colleges with Search finds a college's exact name.
**Inputs**
- College (`slug`, text, required): The college's name, slug or le-teen.com link (for example, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor or university-of-michigan-ann-arbor).
**Outputs**
- `breakeven_age` (number): The age at which the degree has paid for itself, or null.
- `city` (text): The college's city.
- `control` (text): public, private-nonprofit or private-forprofit.
- `freopp_program_coverage` (number): How many FREOPP programs feed the earnings figure.
- `median_earnings_10yr_usd` (number): Median earnings 10 years after entry, in USD.
- `meta` (object): Where the data comes from and how to cite it; every answer carries one.
- `name` (text): The college's name.
- `npv_30yr_nonresident_usd` (number): 30-year net present value at non-resident pricing, in USD. Null unless the college is public, charges more out of state, and the value is still positive.
- `npv_30yr_resident_usd` (number): 30-year net present value of a degree at resident pricing, in USD.
- `slug` (text): The college's slug, for Get one college.
- `state` (text): Two-letter state code.
- `state_name` (text): The state's name.
- `total_cost_of_attendance_nonresident_usd` (number): Total cost of attendance at non-resident pricing, in USD. Null when there is no non-resident NPV.
- `total_cost_of_attendance_usd` (number): Total cost of attendance at resident pricing, in USD.
- `unitid` (number): The college's IPEDS UnitID.
- `url` (text): The college's page on le-teen.com.
**Example output**
```json
{
"breakeven_age": 33,
"city": "Ann Arbor",
"control": "public",
"freopp_program_coverage": 60,
"median_earnings_10yr_usd": 73727,
"meta": {
"attribution": "Data: LE TEEN \u2014 le-teen.com \u2014 college ROI, decoded",
"attribution_html": "Data: LE TEEN (CC BY 4.0)",
"cite": "LE TEEN (2026). College ROI Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"data_vintage": "IPEDS 2023 \u00b7 FREOPP 2021 \u00b7 BEA 2023",
"doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"generated": "2026-06-16",
"license": "CC-BY-4.0",
"source": "LE TEEN",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/api/v1/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor.json"
},
"name": "University of Michigan-Ann Arbor",
"npv_30yr_nonresident_usd": 1418489,
"npv_30yr_resident_usd": 2841094,
"slug": "university-of-michigan-ann-arbor",
"state": "MI",
"state_name": "Michigan",
"total_cost_of_attendance_nonresident_usd": 295852,
"total_cost_of_attendance_usd": 128660,
"unitid": 170976,
"url": "https://le-teen.com/colleges/university-of-michigan-ann-arbor"
}
```
### Get one major
Look up one major category or subfield by its name, slug or le-teen.com link (for example, Registered Nursing) and return its lifetime return on investment (ROI) figures and, for a category, how much AI is already used in its graduates' occupations.
**Inputs**
- Major (`slug`, text, required): The major's name, slug or le-teen.com link (for example, Registered Nursing or philosophy-and-religious-studies).
**Outputs**
- `ai_exposure` (object): How much AI is already used in the field's occupations (not whether it replaces them). Major categories only; null for subfields.
- `cip_program_name` (text): The CIP program family's name. Subfields only.
- `completion_adjusted_roi_usd` (number): Lifetime ROI allowing for students who do not finish, in USD.
- `dropout_roi_usd` (number): Lifetime ROI for a student who starts but does not finish, in USD.
- `graduates` (number): Graduates counted.
- `kind` (text): category or subfield.
- `mean_lifetime_roi_usd` (number): Mean lifetime return on investment, in USD.
- `median_breakeven_age` (number): Median age at which the degree pays off, among graduates whose programs do break even.
- `median_lifetime_roi_usd` (number): Median lifetime return on investment, in USD.
- `meta` (object): Where the data comes from and how to cite it; every answer carries one.
- `name` (text): The major's name.
- `p25_roi_usd` (number): Lifetime ROI at the 25th percentile, in USD.
- `p75_roi_usd` (number): Lifetime ROI at the 75th percentile, in USD.
- `parent` (object): The category a subfield belongs to. Null for a category.
- `pct_negative_lifetime_roi` (number): Percent of graduates in programs with a negative lifetime ROI.
- `pct_never_breakeven` (number): Percent of graduates in programs that never break even.
- `programs` (number): Programs counted.
- `rank_by_worst_roi` (number): Rank among the categories, or among the subfields, by mean lifetime ROI; 1 is the worst.
- `slug` (text): The major's slug, for Get one major.
- `url` (text): The major's page on le-teen.com.
**Example output**
```json
{
"ai_exposure": null,
"cip_program_name": "Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.",
"completion_adjusted_roi_usd": 554189,
"dropout_roi_usd": -117792,
"graduates": 274445,
"kind": "subfield",
"mean_lifetime_roi_usd": 1004299,
"median_breakeven_age": 26,
"median_lifetime_roi_usd": 915056,
"meta": {
"attribution": "Data: LE TEEN \u2014 le-teen.com \u2014 college ROI, decoded",
"attribution_html": "Data: LE TEEN (CC BY 4.0)",
"cite": "LE TEEN (2026). College ROI Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"data_vintage": "FREOPP 2021",
"doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"generated": "2026-06-16",
"license": "CC-BY-4.0",
"source": "LE TEEN",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/api/v1/majors/registered-nursing.json"
},
"name": "Registered Nursing",
"p25_roi_usd": 760797,
"p75_roi_usd": 1162463,
"parent": {
"name": "Health and Nursing",
"slug": "health-and-nursing"
},
"pct_negative_lifetime_roi": 0,
"pct_never_breakeven": 0,
"programs": 820,
"rank_by_worst_roi": 104,
"slug": "registered-nursing",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/majors/registered-nursing"
}
```
### Get out-of-state penalty ranking
Rank U.S. public four-year universities by their out-of-state tuition penalty: how much 30-year net present value (NPV) a student gives up by paying non-resident rather than resident tuition at the same school, worst first. Keep one state's universities, cap how many come back, or use LE TEEN's list of the 50 worst.
**Inputs**
- Top 50 only (`top_50`, true/false): Set to true to use LE TEEN's list of the 50 worst penalties instead of the full ranking.
- State (`state`, text): Only include universities in this state, by its two-letter code or its name (for example, MI or Michigan). Each keeps its rank in the whole ranking.
- Limit (`limit`, number): The most universities to return, worst first. Leave empty to return every match. At least 1.
**Outputs**
- `count` (number): How many universities were returned.
- `description` (text): LE TEEN's description of the ranking.
- `meta` (object): Where the data comes from and how to cite it; every answer carries one.
- `page_url` (text): The ranking's page on le-teen.com.
- `rankings` (list): The universities, worst penalty first.
- `title` (text): LE TEEN's title for the ranking.
- `total_matching` (number): How many universities matched before the limit was applied.
**Example output**
```json
{
"count": 2,
"description": "How much paying non-resident instead of resident tuition costs over a 30-year NPV \u2014 same school, same degree, cost of living held. Worst-first. Every row is NPV-positive both ways.",
"meta": {
"attribution": "Data: LE TEEN \u2014 le-teen.com \u2014 college ROI, decoded",
"attribution_html": "Data: LE TEEN (CC BY 4.0)",
"cite": "LE TEEN (2026). College ROI Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"data_vintage": "IPEDS 2023 \u00b7 FREOPP 2021 \u00b7 BEA 2023",
"doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"generated": "2026-06-16",
"license": "CC-BY-4.0",
"source": "LE TEEN",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/api/v1/rankings/out-of-state-penalty.json"
},
"page_url": "https://le-teen.com/rankings/out-of-state-tax",
"rankings": [
{
"institution": "University of Colorado Boulder",
"npv_nonresident_usd": 456262,
"npv_resident_usd": 1354350,
"oos_penalty_30yr_npv_usd": 898088,
"rank": 14,
"state": "CO",
"tuition_in_state_usd": 15556,
"tuition_out_of_state_usd": 41943,
"unitid": 126614,
"url": "https://le-teen.com/colleges/university-of-colorado-boulder"
},
{
"institution": "Colorado School of Mines",
"npv_nonresident_usd": 4047681,
"npv_resident_usd": 4836958,
"oos_penalty_30yr_npv_usd": 789277,
"rank": 26,
"state": "CO",
"tuition_in_state_usd": 21186,
"tuition_out_of_state_usd": 44376,
"unitid": 126775,
"url": null
}
],
"title": "U.S. public four-year universities ranked by the out-of-state tuition penalty",
"total_matching": 11
}
```
### Get worst-ROI majors
Rank LE TEEN's bachelor's major categories from the worst lifetime return on investment (ROI) to the best, by mean lifetime ROI, with the share of graduates who never break even. Categories only; List majors covers the subfields.
**Inputs**: None.
**Outputs**
- `count` (number): How many categories are ranked.
- `description` (text): LE TEEN's description of the ranking.
- `meta` (object): Where the data comes from and how to cite it; every answer carries one.
- `page_url` (text): The ranking's page on le-teen.com.
- `rankings` (list): The major categories, worst ROI first.
- `title` (text): LE TEEN's title for the ranking.
**Example output**
```json
{
"count": 19,
"description": "All 19 major categories ranked by median lifetime ROI, worst-first \u2014 with the share of graduates who never break even. Field averages may be negative; no institution is named. Per-major detail (subfields included): /api/v1/majors/{slug}.json.",
"meta": {
"attribution": "Data: LE TEEN \u2014 le-teen.com \u2014 college ROI, decoded",
"attribution_html": "Data: LE TEEN (CC BY 4.0)",
"cite": "LE TEEN (2026). College ROI Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"data_vintage": "FREOPP 2021",
"doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"generated": "2026-06-16",
"license": "CC-BY-4.0",
"source": "LE TEEN",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/api/v1/rankings/worst-roi-majors.json"
},
"page_url": "https://le-teen.com/rankings/worst-roi-majors",
"rankings": [
{
"graduates": 20114,
"mean_lifetime_roi_usd": -111915,
"median_breakeven_age": 38,
"median_lifetime_roi_usd": -81669,
"name": "Philosophy and Religious Studies",
"pct_never_breakeven": 59.8,
"rank": 1,
"slug": "philosophy-and-religious-studies",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/majors/philosophy-and-religious-studies"
},
{
"graduates": 167416,
"mean_lifetime_roi_usd": -68014,
"median_breakeven_age": 38,
"median_lifetime_roi_usd": -92704,
"name": "Visual Arts and Music",
"pct_never_breakeven": 67.9,
"rank": 2,
"slug": "visual-arts-and-music",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/majors/visual-arts-and-music"
}
],
"title": "Bachelor\u2019s major categories ranked by lifetime ROI, worst-first"
}
```
### List colleges
Search, filter and sort the U.S. four-year colleges LE TEEN covers, each with its 30-year net present value (NPV) at resident and non-resident pricing, total cost of attendance, median earnings 10 years after entry and break-even age. Search by name or city, keep one state, type of college or a minimum NPV, sort by any of those figures, and cap how many come back. LE TEEN covers the colleges with the most earnings data that pass its checks, so a missing college is not a verdict on it.
**Inputs**
- Limit (`limit`, number): The most colleges to return, counted after sorting. Leave empty to return every match. At least 1.
- Minimum resident NPV (USD) (`min_npv_resident_usd`, number): Only include colleges whose 30-year NPV at resident pricing is at least this many U.S. dollars (for example, 1000000). At least 0.
- Search (`query`, text): Only include colleges whose name or city contains every word you enter (for example, michigan, or ann arbor). Capitals, accents and punctuation are ignored.
- State (`state`, text): Only include colleges in this state, by its two-letter code or its name (for example, MI or Michigan). DC counts as a state.
- Type of college (`control`, text): Only include public, private nonprofit or private for-profit colleges. Leave empty for all three. One of: `public`, `private-nonprofit` (Private nonprofit), `private-forprofit` (Private for-profit).
- Sort by (`sort_by`, text): The figure to sort by. Leave empty to keep LE TEEN's own order, which puts the colleges with the most earnings data first. One of: `npv_30yr_resident_usd` (30-year NPV at resident pricing), `npv_30yr_nonresident_usd` (30-year NPV at non-resident pricing), `median_earnings_10yr_usd` (Median earnings 10 years after entry), `total_cost_of_attendance_usd` (Total cost of attendance at resident pricing), `breakeven_age` (Break-even age), `name`.
- Sort order (`sort_order`, text): Highest first or lowest first. Leave empty for highest first, or A to Z when sorting by name. Rows missing the figure always come last. One of: `descending` (Highest first (Z to A for names)), `ascending` (Lowest first (A to Z for names)).
**Outputs**
- `colleges` (list): The colleges, sorted as asked.
- `count` (number): How many colleges were returned.
- `meta` (object): Where the data comes from and how to cite it; every answer carries one.
- `notes` (list): LE TEEN's notes on what the list covers and how to read it.
- `total_matching` (number): How many colleges matched before the limit was applied.
**Example output**
```json
{
"colleges": [
{
"breakeven_age": 37,
"city": "East Lansing",
"control": "public",
"freopp_program_coverage": 82,
"median_earnings_10yr_usd": 63880,
"name": "Michigan State University",
"npv_30yr_nonresident_usd": 1106720,
"npv_30yr_resident_usd": 2017843,
"slug": "michigan-state-university",
"state": "MI",
"state_name": "Michigan",
"total_cost_of_attendance_nonresident_usd": 223176,
"total_cost_of_attendance_usd": 116096,
"unitid": 171100,
"url": "https://le-teen.com/colleges/michigan-state-university"
},
{
"breakeven_age": null,
"city": "Ypsilanti",
"control": "public",
"freopp_program_coverage": 70,
"median_earnings_10yr_usd": 53667,
"name": "Eastern Michigan University",
"npv_30yr_nonresident_usd": null,
"npv_30yr_resident_usd": 1064142,
"slug": "eastern-michigan-university",
"state": "MI",
"state_name": "Michigan",
"total_cost_of_attendance_nonresident_usd": null,
"total_cost_of_attendance_usd": 114800,
"unitid": 169798,
"url": "https://le-teen.com/colleges/eastern-michigan-university"
}
],
"count": 2,
"meta": {
"attribution": "Data: LE TEEN \u2014 le-teen.com \u2014 college ROI, decoded",
"attribution_html": "Data: LE TEEN (CC BY 4.0)",
"cite": "LE TEEN (2026). College ROI Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"data_vintage": "IPEDS 2023 \u00b7 FREOPP 2021 \u00b7 BEA 2023",
"doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"generated": "2026-06-16",
"license": "CC-BY-4.0",
"source": "LE TEEN",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/api/v1/colleges.json"
},
"notes": [
"Coverage: the 500 four-year institutions with the largest FREOPP program coverage that clear the editorial gates (real FREOPP earnings, >= 3 reported programs, hand-verified exclusions, positive 30-year NPV at resident pricing). Absence from this list is a coverage statement, not a verdict.",
"npv_30yr_nonresident_usd is non-null only for public schools with a real out-of-state premium whose non-resident NPV is ALSO positive; otherwise null by design.",
"Model + assumptions: https://le-teen.com/methodology. Same compute as the /worth-it calculator and every ranking."
],
"total_matching": 9
}
```
### List majors
List bachelor's majors with their lifetime return on investment (ROI): LE TEEN's major categories and the subfields within them, each with its mean and median lifetime ROI, the share of graduates who never break even, the median break-even age and more. Keep only categories or subfields, or one category's subfields, sort by any of those figures, and cap how many come back.
**Inputs**
- Level (`level`, text): Only include major categories, or only subfields. Leave empty for both. One of: `category` (Major categories), `subfield` (Subfields).
- Category (`parent`, text): Only include the subfields of this major category, by its name or slug (for example, Health and Nursing or engineering).
- Sort by (`sort_by`, text): The figure to sort by. Leave empty to keep LE TEEN's own order: categories, then subfields, each from the worst mean lifetime ROI up. One of: `mean_lifetime_roi_usd` (Mean lifetime ROI), `median_lifetime_roi_usd` (Median lifetime ROI), `completion_adjusted_roi_usd` (Completion-adjusted ROI), `pct_never_breakeven` (Share of graduates who never break even), `median_breakeven_age` (Median break-even age), `graduates`, `name`.
- Sort order (`sort_order`, text): Highest first or lowest first. Leave empty for highest first, or A to Z when sorting by name. Rows missing the figure always come last. One of: `descending` (Highest first (Z to A for names)), `ascending` (Lowest first (A to Z for names)).
- Limit (`limit`, number): The most majors to return, counted after sorting. Leave empty to return every match. At least 1.
**Outputs**
- `categories` (number): How many of those returned are major categories.
- `count` (number): How many majors were returned.
- `majors` (list): The majors, sorted as asked.
- `meta` (object): Where the data comes from and how to cite it; every answer carries one.
- `notes` (list): LE TEEN's notes on what the list covers and how to read it.
- `subfields` (number): How many of those returned are subfields.
- `total_matching` (number): How many majors matched before the limit was applied.
**Example output**
```json
{
"categories": 2,
"count": 2,
"majors": [
{
"ai_exposure": {
"acs_coverage": 0.78,
"band": "Elevated",
"score_0_to_1": 0.281,
"top_occupations": [
{
"score": 0.28,
"share": 0.112,
"soc": "13-2011",
"title": "Accountants and Auditors"
}
]
},
"cip_program_name": null,
"completion_adjusted_roi_usd": 319817,
"dropout_roi_usd": -117892,
"graduates": 681089,
"kind": "category",
"mean_lifetime_roi_usd": 578915,
"median_breakeven_age": 30,
"median_lifetime_roi_usd": 533050,
"name": "Business and Management",
"p25_roi_usd": 347986,
"p75_roi_usd": 748626,
"parent": null,
"pct_negative_lifetime_roi": 1.5,
"pct_never_breakeven": 1.5,
"programs": 4428,
"rank_by_worst_roi": 13,
"slug": "business-and-management",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/majors/business-and-management"
},
{
"ai_exposure": {
"acs_coverage": 0.82,
"band": "Lower",
"score_0_to_1": 0.209,
"top_occupations": [
{
"score": 0.17,
"share": 0.422,
"soc": "29-1141",
"title": "Registered Nurses"
}
]
},
"cip_program_name": null,
"completion_adjusted_roi_usd": 412684,
"dropout_roi_usd": -115175,
"graduates": 401246,
"kind": "category",
"mean_lifetime_roi_usd": 775786,
"median_breakeven_age": 27,
"median_lifetime_roi_usd": 802488,
"name": "Health and Nursing",
"p25_roi_usd": 474708,
"p75_roi_usd": 1069818,
"parent": null,
"pct_negative_lifetime_roi": 6.8,
"pct_never_breakeven": 6.8,
"programs": 2285,
"rank_by_worst_roi": 16,
"slug": "health-and-nursing",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/majors/health-and-nursing"
}
],
"meta": {
"attribution": "Data: LE TEEN \u2014 le-teen.com \u2014 college ROI, decoded",
"attribution_html": "Data: LE TEEN (CC BY 4.0)",
"cite": "LE TEEN (2026). College ROI Data. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"data_vintage": "FREOPP 2021",
"doi": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21351602",
"generated": "2026-06-16",
"license": "CC-BY-4.0",
"source": "LE TEEN",
"url": "https://le-teen.com/api/v1/majors.json"
},
"notes": [
"kind=category rows are FREOPP program categories; kind=subfield rows are CIP program families and carry a parent linkage to their category.",
"All ROI figures are lifetime USD, cohort-weighted over FREOPP\u2019s published per-program numbers. Field averages may be negative \u2014 no institution is named here.",
"ai_exposure is le-teen-derived AI APPLICABILITY (how much of the field\u2019s occupations AI is already used for), NOT displacement; category rows only."
],
"subfields": 0,
"total_matching": 134
}
```