RoI/NPV is an excellent measure of the value of a college education. One might argue that it is the only relevant factor for families with limited financial means. Pursuing your dream is not an option open to everyone, it sounds nice, but it isn’t practical for a lot of people. Ask anyone running a small business struggling to meet payroll, or supporting a family on a small hourly wage. Sometimes work is actually … work.
What would actually be useful is a list of salaries based on the major, whether they went to grad school and for what, and segmented by the college and its decile ranking. It’s not surprising the tech centric schools have a greater return compared to a general university and a liberal arts school.