Alice Lloyd College
Pippa Passes, Kentucky · Private Nonprofit · 75.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 18/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Alice Lloyd College earns an ROI score of 18 (Below Benchmark tier), and the numbers tell a complicated Appalachian story. Tuition is $13,960 and net price is $18,600, which implies typical students are not receiving discounts that fully offset non-tuition costs at this rural Pippa Passes, Kentucky campus. Average earnings six years out are $28,400, climbing to a median $40,573 by year ten. That weak earnings curve produces a 38.5-year payback period, which essentially means the financial investment never repays in any reasonable working life. Median debt is moderate at $19,599, but the 0.69 debt-to-earnings ratio still pinches. Completion is 39%, repayment is 56% three years out. Alice Lloyd's mission-driven model relies on its work-study Student Work Program rather than tuition, but the post-graduation earnings ceiling in central Appalachia caps what any college can do for ROI in this region.
How Alice Lloyd 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 Score18/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate38.9% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period38.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Alice Lloyd College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $13,960/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $13,960/yr |
| Average net price | $18,600/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $74,400 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $40,573 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $28,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $19,599 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $208 |
| Estimated payback period | 38.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 38.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 558 |
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: $13,960/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $18,600/year, or roughly $74,400 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 $17,444/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $19,349/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $19,599, which works out to about $208 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($28,400) and comes to 0.69, 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 | $17,444 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,447 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $17,715 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,757 |
| $110,001+ | $19,349 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $17,444 net, and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays slightly less at $16,447 - a small bracket inversion. With Pell, KEES (Kentucky merit), and Alice Lloyd's work-study credit, the four-year net cost runs about $66,000-$70,000. Given median earnings barely cracking $40,000 ten years out, this is heavy lift for low-income Appalachian families even at the school's mission price.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $17,715 - essentially flat with the lower brackets. Across the middle range, four-year cost is roughly $66,000-$71,000. With a 38.5-year payback period, the math signals that even at this discounted price, post-graduation earnings in the surrounding Appalachian labor market do not service the loan or compensate for the four years out of the workforce.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning $75,001-$110,000 pay $21,757 (the highest bracket on offer) and $110,001-plus pays $19,349 - another mild inversion where the very-highest-income tier pays slightly less than the upper-middle band.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 50.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 56.4% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 53.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 63.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Alice Lloyd 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 | 75.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 330-460 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 380-500 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 16-22 |
| Enrollment | 558 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 58.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,404 |
Alice Lloyd admits 75% of applicants. Reported test scores are very low: SAT Math 330-460, SAT Reading 380-500, ACT Composite 16-22. The 39% completion rate is consistent with that academic preparation profile.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alice Lloyd College (this school) | 18 | $18,600 | $40,573 |
| Bellarmine University | 68 | $21,499 | $62,069 |
| Asbury University | 29 | $21,401 | $42,368 |
| Lourdes University | 23 | $23,206 | $48,150 |
| Cambridge College | 21 | $31,072 | $45,998 |
| St. Andrews University | 16 | $32,513 | $45,606 |
Who Thrives Here
Alice Lloyd is genuinely small (558 students) with a 58% Pell rate and a famous Student Work Program where every student works 10-20 hours weekly to subsidize tuition. Programs detail is not reported in current Scorecard data, which limits major-by-major analysis. Students considering this should confirm they will graduate with the work-study aid package that justifies Alice Lloyd's mission model.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Alice Lloyd College scores 18/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $18,600 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $40,573 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 38.5 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 38.9% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 56.4% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $19,599 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $28,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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.
Alice Lloyd College: Common Questions
Is Alice Lloyd College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Alice Lloyd College scores 18/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $18,600 a year after aid against $40,573 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 38.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Alice Lloyd 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 $18,600 a year, or roughly $74,400 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 Alice Lloyd College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $40,573 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Alice Lloyd 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 38.5 years for Alice Lloyd College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Alice Lloyd College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $19,599, against average earnings of $28,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.69. 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 Alice Lloyd College?
The six-year graduation rate is 38.9%. 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.