With college sticker prices approaching six figures, and students increasingly wary of taking on big loans, one question is increasingly top-of-mind for those immersed in the college search process: Will my hefty investment in a four-year degree pay off?

The answer is, usually — but not always, according to a new return-on-investment tool that’s gaining traction among education researchers and public policy makers. Where, and especially what, a student studies can make an enormous difference in whether they graduate with a promising financial future.