Anna Maria College
Paxton, Massachusetts · Private Nonprofit · 50.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 28/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Anna Maria College earns an ROI score of 28 and lands in our Below Benchmark tier, driven by a poor combination of high cost and weak institution-wide earnings. Average earnings six years after entry are only $38,000, climbing to a median $46,651 by year ten, which is well below the price point. The result is a 21.7-year payback period and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.658 on $25,000 of median debt. The 46.2% completion rate is the most concerning single number; fewer than half of students finish, and those who leave without a credential carry debt with no degree premium. The lone bright spot is a strong vocational set - fire protection, criminal justice, and nursing - where program-level outcomes shine. Outside those tracks the price-to-earnings math is unfavorable, which weighs on the composite score.
How Anna Maria 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 Score28/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period21.7 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Anna Maria College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $44,571/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $44,571/yr |
| Average net price | $28,333/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $113,332 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,651 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $38,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $265 |
| Estimated payback period | 21.7 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 46.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 906 |
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: $44,571/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $28,333/year, or roughly $113,332 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 $25,554/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $33,305/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,000, which works out to about $265 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($38,000) and comes to 0.66, 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 | $25,554 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $24,373 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $25,366 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $27,627 |
| $110,001+ | $33,305 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $25,554 on net, with the $30,001-$48,000 bracket dipping slightly to $24,373. Those are still high totals for low-income households - roughly $100,000 over four years. Combined with a 46.2% completion rate, low-income students face significant risk of leaving with debt and no degree. Public-safety and nursing tracks justify the math; general majors do not.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets see relatively flat pricing: $25,366 in the $48,001-$75,000 tier and $27,627 in the $75,001-$110,000 tier. The aid curve is unusually compressed across income levels, which often signals limited merit aid headroom. With median earnings under $40,000 at year six, middle-income families pay close to sticker for outcomes that lag the broader Massachusetts private market.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $33,305 net - a $5,700 jump from the prior bracket but still well below the $44,571 sticker.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Anna Maria College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Fire Protection | $110,044 | B+ |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $76,013 | B |
| Registered Nursing | $88,554 | B |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $56,774 | C+ |
| Social Work | $61,652 | B |
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.
Fire Protection
Fire Protection is Anna Maria's standout program. With 58 graduates - the largest cohort on campus - a $81,637 first-year median salary, and $22,875 in median debt, the debt-to-earnings ratio is just 0.28 and the program earns a B+. By year four, earnings climb to $110,044. The pipeline into Massachusetts fire departments, where civil-service union pay is strong, is the entire reason this program works financially.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice produces 47 graduates with year-four earnings of $76,013 against $27,000 in median debt, yielding a 0.355 debt-to-earnings ratio and a B grade. Like fire protection, the program leverages Massachusetts public-sector pay scales (state troopers, corrections officers, probation). Graduates who land municipal or state positions see strong career economics; those who pursue private security see weaker numbers.
Registered Nursing
Nursing produces 37 graduates with $75,045 first-year earnings and $88,554 by year four. Median debt is the highest on campus at $30,954, but the 0.412 debt-to-earnings ratio still earns a B grade. Massachusetts nurse pay supports the cost, and the clinical placements feed regional hospital networks. A solid choice, though the higher debt burden compared to fire protection means less margin for error.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business admin has 37 graduates and a $56,774 year-four earnings figure against $25,575 in debt, for a 0.45 ratio and a C+ grade. This is the weakest of the major tracks at Anna Maria - earnings are decent in absolute terms but the cost-to-outcome gap is wider than the vocational programs. Students choosing business should be confident they will complete and have a clear post-grad employer in mind.
Social Work
Social Work is small (9 graduates) but financially workable: $61,652 year-four earnings against $27,000 in debt produce a 0.438 ratio and a B grade. Year-one earnings are not reported. The Massachusetts licensure pipeline supports decent pay, particularly for clinically licensed positions, but the small cohort size means students should expect a tight-knit but resource-limited program.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 66.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 71.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 64.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 69.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Anna Maria 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 | 50.3% |
| Enrollment | 906 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 34.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,264 |
Anna Maria admits about 50.3% of applicants, making it moderately selective on paper. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, suggesting the school is largely test-optional and that scored applicants are too few to publish. With a 46.2% completion rate, selectivity here does not translate into strong persistence, which often signals an academically heterogeneous incoming class. Prepared students who choose Anna Maria typically come for the public-safety, nursing, or athletic programs rather than for academic rigor signals.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Anna Maria's ROI score is 28 and the payback is 21.7 years.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Maria College (this school) | 28 | $28,333 | $46,651 |
| Amherst College | 90 | $23,367 | $77,644 |
| American International College | 38 | $23,274 | $53,124 |
| Mary Baldwin University | 25 | $12,756 | $44,427 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Hallmark University | 24 | $12,513 | $40,183 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment is just 906, with a 34.3% Pell rate - a small, working-class-leaning student body drawn primarily from central Massachusetts. The school's identity is rooted in public-safety and human-service careers, and the data backs that up: fire protection graduates earn $81,637 in their first year, and criminal justice and nursing both clear $75,000. Students who arrive committed to those tracks see real ROI. Students who enroll undecided or pursue general business or social work face longer odds, especially given the sub-50% completion rate.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Anna Maria College scores 28/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $28,333 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,651 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 21.7 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 46.2% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 71.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $25,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $38,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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.
Anna Maria College: Common Questions
Is Anna Maria College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Anna Maria College scores 28/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $28,333 a year after aid against $46,651 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 21.7 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Anna Maria 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 $28,333 a year, or roughly $113,332 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 Anna Maria College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,651 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,851 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 Anna Maria 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 21.7 years for Anna Maria College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Anna Maria College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,000, against average earnings of $38,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66. 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 Anna Maria College?
The six-year graduation rate is 46.2%. 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.