Appalachian Bible College
Mount Hope, West Virginia · Private Nonprofit · 77.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 40/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Appalachian Bible College is a small evangelical Bible college in southern West Virginia, scoring 40 in the Below Benchmark tier - though the standard ROI lens is the wrong yardstick. The financial structure is genuinely modest: tuition is $18,760 and net price drops to $11,579 after aid, putting four-year total at $46,316. Median federal debt is low at $11,000, producing a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.417, actually a respectable figure. The earnings ceiling is the issue: ten-year median earnings of $37,467 produce just a 5.3 percent earnings premium over high-school grads, and the payback period stretches 75.5 years because the earnings barely service interest. The operational metrics are surprisingly strong: completion rate is 71.1 percent and repayment runs 82.8 percent at five years, dipping slightly to 82.3 percent at seven. Alumni are taking their (modest) debt seriously and paying it down. Pell rate is 41.9 percent and enrollment is tiny at 193. As a mission-vocational training school for evangelical ministry, pastoral work, and Christian counseling, ABC's value proposition is about calling rather than earnings.
How Appalachian Bible 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 Score40/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Appalachian Bible College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $18,760/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,760/yr |
| Average net price | $11,579/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $46,316 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $37,467 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $11,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $117 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 71.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 193 |
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: $18,760/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $11,579/year, or roughly $46,316 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 $8,772/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $15,143/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $11,000, which works out to about $117 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,400) and comes to 0.42, which in our view is comfortably manageable.
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 | $8,772 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $10,235 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,717 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $12,721 |
| $110,001+ | $15,143 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $8,772 per year net, about $35,100 over four. Pell ($7,395 max) covers nearly all of this, meaning low-income students can attend with minimal borrowing. The financial structure is genuinely accessible for low-income evangelical families called to ministry training.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households at $48,001 to $75,000 pay $12,717, about $50,900 over four. Manageable with federal loans plus modest family contribution. The progression across brackets is reasonably smooth - low-income gets the best discount, but middle income still does well.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $15,143 per year, about $60,600 over four. Affluent families face the highest effective cost.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Appalachian Bible College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Bible/Biblical Studies | $28,980 | C |
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.
Bible/Biblical Studies
Bible/Biblical Studies is essentially the entire program at ABC with 38 graduates. One-year earnings of $21,367 climb to $28,980 by year four against $12,865 median debt - a 0.602 ratio and C grade. The earnings level reflects ministry, pastoral, and church-staff wages in Appalachian and rural Southeast settings, which are structurally low. Because debt is also low, the ROI grade lands at C rather than D or F. Students entering ministry know what they're signing up for; the financial trade-off is sustainable as long as borrowing stays modest.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 82.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 82.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Appalachian Bible 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 | 77.8% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 408-523 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 470-583 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 21-23 |
| Enrollment | 193 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 41.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $3,332 |
ABC admits 77.8 percent of applicants. SAT mid-range is roughly 878 to 1106 and ACT 21 to 23, indicating modestly prepared cohorts. The 71.1 percent completion rate is unusually strong for this academic-preparation profile, reflecting the self-selecting, mission-driven character of who applies. Students arrive committed to Christian ministry preparation, which appears to drive completion. Admission also includes faith-statement alignment and pastoral references.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Bible College (this school) | 40 | $11,579 | $37,467 |
| Central Baptist College | 40 | $12,287 | $46,789 |
| Eastern Nazarene College | 40 | $25,381 | $54,727 |
| Oklahoma Christian University | 40 | $21,872 | $49,203 |
| East Texas Baptist University | 40 | $23,911 | $52,788 |
| Hobe Sound Bible College | 30 | $12,074 | $39,863 |
Who Thrives Here
ABC fits evangelical Christian students called to ministry, pastoral work, missionary service, or biblical-counseling roles, particularly from Appalachian and rural Southeast communities. Enrollment of just 193 supports a tight, residential community. The 41.9 percent Pell rate signals significant low-income enrollment, but the modest debt levels mean students are not over-borrowing. Strongest single-program outcome is in Bible/Biblical Studies, which makes sense as the school's central offering. Students choosing ABC for ROI reasons would be making a category error; this is a ministry-formation institution.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Appalachian Bible College scores 40/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $11,579 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $37,467 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 it has going for it: its 71.0% graduation rate, manageable debt relative to earnings. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a long payback period.
Median debt of $11,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.42, under the 1.0 point at which debt would equal a full year of those earnings. Your major matters a lot here: graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
Appalachian Bible College: Common Questions
Is Appalachian Bible College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Appalachian Bible College scores 40/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $11,579 a year after aid against $37,467 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Appalachian Bible 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 $11,579 a year, or roughly $46,316 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 Appalachian Bible College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $37,467 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 Appalachian Bible 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 more than 50 years for Appalachian Bible College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Appalachian Bible College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $11,000, against average earnings of $26,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.42. In our view that is reasonable, though your major matters: higher-earning fields will see the better end of it.
What is the graduation rate at Appalachian Bible College?
The six-year graduation rate is 71.0%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (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.