Compare the true cost of grad school — including lost income — against the salary increase it's likely to produce.
The real cost of grad school isn't just tuition — it's tuition plus the income you give up while in school. This calculator adds your program cost to your foregone salary (minus any part-time income), then compares that total investment against the additional earnings your new salary produces year over year.
The break-even point is when your cumulative extra earnings (post-degree salary minus what you would have earned without it) exceed your total investment.
The field matters enormously. An MBA from a top program, a nursing degree, or a CS master's often pays for itself within 3–5 years. Many humanities and arts graduate degrees never fully pay for themselves in pure salary terms — though they may open doors a pure ROI calculation can't capture.
Beyond the math: is the salary bump realistic for your specific field and target companies (check Levels.fyi or Glassdoor, not just averages)? Could you get a similar bump through experience and job changes instead? Is this degree required for a role you specifically want, or a general credential?