If You Invested Your College Tuition in Stocks Instead
The average cost of a 4-year college degree in the US is approximately $104,000 (in-state public university, including room and board). Private universities can cost $200,000+. What if you had invested that money instead?
$104,000 in the S&P 500
If you had invested the average college cost in the S&P 500 in 2005 (when a typical 2026 graduate would have started saving), that $104,000 would be worth approximately $878,000 today.
From 2000, it would be worth roughly $800,000. From 2010, about $875,000. In every scenario, the money more than quadrupled.
$104,000 in top stocks
The numbers get more dramatic with individual stocks:
- $104,000 in Nvidia since 2005: would be worth over $300 million
- $104,000 in Apple since 2005: approximately $22 million
- $104,000 in Amazon since 2005: approximately $9.8 million
This isn't the point
We're not suggesting anyone skip college to buy stocks. Education has compounding value that can't be measured in dollars - career opportunities, networks, knowledge.
The point is to make the opportunity cost visible. Every major financial decision has an alternative use. Understanding what that alternative would have returned helps you make better decisions going forward.
Try the growth projector to see what your money could become over the next 10-30 years at different growth rates. Or see our full scenario analysis.