Adrian College
Adrian, Michigan · Private Nonprofit · 72.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 39/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Adrian College earns a 39/100 Below Benchmark ROI score, landing in the Below Benchmark tier despite some reasonably competitive underlying numbers. But the 48.4% completion rate and 0.794 debt-to-earnings ratio (16/100 sub-score) drag the score down: roughly half of enrolling students don't graduate, and those who do face $27,000 in median debt against $34,000 in 6-year earnings (rising to $55,504 by year 10). Earnings premium of 0.202 over high-school baseline shows graduates do earn more, but not enough to make the debt math comfortable. Major selection matters here: biology, accounting, and marketing produce workable outcomes; kinesiology and criminal justice do not.
How Adrian College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score39/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Adrian College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $41,684/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $41,684/yr |
| Average net price | $25,368/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $101,472 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $55,504 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $34,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 11.8 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 48.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,604 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $41,684/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $25,368/year, or roughly $101,472 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $19,542/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $28,652/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($34,000) and comes to 0.79, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $19,542 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $21,571 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $24,162 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $27,166 |
| $110,001+ | $28,652 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $19,542 net, or about $78,168 over four years. The lowest-income bracket gets meaningful institutional discounting, with Pell layering further reducing cash debt. The $19,542 against $34,000 6-year earnings is still tough, but workable for completers in higher-earning majors. The 48.4% completion rate is the main risk factor at this income tier.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households earning $48,001-$75,000 pay $24,162 net and $75,001-$110,000 pay $27,166. Middle-income families face $96,648 to $108,664 over four years against $55,504 in 10-year earnings. Workable in business or accounting; questionable in education or kinesiology.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $28,652 net, or about $114,608 over four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Adrian College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $51,559 | D |
| Biology | $63,816 | B |
| Teacher Education, Subject-Specific | $48,453 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $69,654 | C |
| Marketing | $66,808 | C |
| Accounting | $77,588 | - |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $54,077 | D |
| Social Work | $54,277 | C+ |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $52,176 | - |
| Communication and Media Studies | $52,309 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology is Adrian's largest program with 56 graduates but produces a D ROI grade: $36,808 first-year earnings, $51,559 four-year, $27,000 debt and a 0.734 debt-to-earnings ratio. The major typically funnels to graduate PT/OT/athletic training programs, but starting that path $27,000 in undergrad debt at a school with sub-50% completion is risky. Students using this as a pre-grad track should keep debt minimal.
Biology
Biology is Adrian's strongest reported ROI: 30 graduates, $63,816 four-year earnings, $27,000 debt, 0.423 debt-to-earnings ratio, B grade. Strong outcome reflects pre-med, pre-PA, and pre-grad-school pipelines absorbing Adrian biology graduates well. Pre-health students considering Adrian get a legitimately defensible economic path here.
Teacher Education, Subject-Specific
Teacher Ed graduates 30 students with $42,118 first-year, $48,453 four-year earnings against $30,994 debt for a 0.736 debt-to-earnings ratio and D grade. Michigan teacher demand absorbs graduates, but starting a teaching career $30,994 in debt against capped public-school wages is painful.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Admin produces 28 graduates with $41,129 first-year and a strong $69,654 four-year earnings figure against $27,000 debt for a 0.656 debt-to-earnings ratio and C grade. Solid mainstream choice with notable earnings growth between years 1 and 4. The C grade understates the trajectory; this is one of Adrian's better defensible undergrad investments.
Accounting
Accounting has 13 graduates with $77,588 four-year earnings (highest of any reported program) but no reported debt or ROI grade because the borrower sample doesn't meet reporting thresholds. Strong earnings reflect CPA-track placement at regional firms.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 72.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 75.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 72.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 74.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Adrian College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 72.5% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 430-560 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 443-580 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 21-27 |
| Enrollment | 1,604 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 30.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,614 |
Adrian admits 72.5% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 430-560 math and 443-580 reading, and ACT mid-range 21-27. The 48.4% completion rate aligns with this profile: prepared students with stronger test scores complete at substantially higher rates than the schoolwide average, while students at the bottom of the ACT range face real attrition risk. The selectivity is real but not screening hard.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Adrian's completion rate is 48.4%.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian College (this school) | 39 | $25,368 | $55,504 |
| Albion College | 65 | $14,301 | $58,799 |
| Alma College | 50 | $20,694 | $54,742 |
| Caldwell University | 40 | $24,691 | $53,843 |
| Felician University | 40 | $40,045 | $57,602 |
| Springfield College | 36 | $30,587 | $48,036 |
Who Thrives Here
Adrian fits Michigan residents drawn to a small-college experience, willing to absorb $25,368 in annual net price, and committed to a higher-earning major (accounting, biology, business, marketing). With 1,604 students and 30.8% Pell, the campus is intimate. The school has a strong athletics-and-extracurriculars culture that attracts students prioritizing fit. Students considering Kinesiology (the largest major at 56 graduates) should run that program's math carefully: a D grade and 0.734 debt-to-earnings ratio make it tough as a terminal degree.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Adrian College scores 39/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $25,368 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $55,504 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 11.8 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 48.4% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79 (median across the schools we score: 0.61).
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $34,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Adrian College: Common Questions
Is Adrian College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Adrian College scores 39/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $25,368 a year after aid against $55,504 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 11.8 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Adrian College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $25,368 a year, or roughly $101,472 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Adrian College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $55,504 ten years after enrolling, roughly $13,704 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Adrian College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 11.8 years for Adrian College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Adrian College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $34,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.79. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Adrian College?
The six-year graduation rate is 48.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.