Arizona Christian University
Glendale, Arizona · Private Nonprofit · 70.6% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 30/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Arizona Christian University earns the Below Benchmark tier with an overall ROI score of 30 out of 100, weighed down by a 39.9% completion rate (sub-score 21) and a relatively weak earnings premium. Tuition is $35,098 per year and the average net price is $32,839 - aid is minimal here, with families paying close to sticker. The four-year cost runs $131,356. Median earnings 10 years after entry are $51,612, a 12.6% premium over high school graduates - modest given the price tag. The payback period of 16.3 years is long. The repayment rate is the school's strongest signal at 76.9% - graduates do honor their loans - but only 4 in 10 students who enroll actually finish. ACU is a small evangelical Christian university with a clear mission identity; on the financial data the value math is challenging, particularly given the very limited financial aid available.
How Arizona Christian University 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 Score30/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate39.9% - 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 period16.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Arizona Christian University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $35,098/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $35,098/yr |
| Average net price | $32,839/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $131,356 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $51,612 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $23,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $244 |
| Estimated payback period | 16.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 39.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 1,165 |
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: $35,098/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $32,839/year, or roughly $131,356 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 $30,522/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $34,323/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $23,000, which works out to about $244 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,600) and comes to 0.71, 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 | $30,522 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $29,991 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $32,259 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $34,557 |
| $110,001+ | $34,323 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $30,522 per year, while the $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays slightly less ($29,991) - a mild inversion. Over four years that's roughly $122,000. The very flat aid curve across income brackets means ACU does not provide meaningful institutional discounts to lower-income students. With a 39.9% completion rate, this is a high-risk financial scenario.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$75,000) pay $32,259 per year, and $75,001-$110,000 pays $34,557. Four-year totals run $129,000-$138,000 - substantial money for outcomes that don't justify the price.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning above $110,000 pay $34,323 per year - essentially the same as middle-income families, suggesting ACU has no real income-based aid curve. Roughly $137,000 over four years for a 12.6% earnings premium and a 16.3-year payback. In our view, the financial case for higher-income families is limited here.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Arizona Christian University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $56,882 | C+ |
| Teacher Education | $46,205 | - |
| Clinical Psychology | $46,659 | 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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is ACU's largest reportable program with 44 graduates per year. Median earnings of $40,702 first year and $56,882 by year four against $21,250 of debt produce a 0.522 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C+ ROI grade. Among ACU's programs this is the strongest. The relatively contained debt is the main reason this program clears the C+ bar.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates 32 students per year. Earnings data is incomplete - only four-year earnings of $46,205 are reported, with first-year earnings and debt figures missing. The program likely produces outcomes consistent with K-12 teacher salaries in Arizona. Without complete debt data, an ROI grade can't be assigned, but the school's heavy net price and the modest earnings ceiling of teaching make this a difficult financial proposition.
Clinical Psychology
Clinical Psychology graduates 29 students per year with a C+ ROI grade. Median four-year earnings of $46,659 against $24,000 of debt produce a 0.514 debt-to-earnings ratio. First-year earnings are not reported. As with most psychology bachelor's, students need to plan for graduate school to capture the field's clinical earnings; the bachelor's alone produces modest outcomes.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 70.5% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 76.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 63.0% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 63.0% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Arizona Christian University’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 | 70.6% |
| Enrollment | 1,165 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 33.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,223 |
ACU admits 70.6% of applicants. The 39.9% completion rate is the more concerning signal - six in ten students who enroll do not graduate, which suggests significant fit, financial, or academic preparation issues. Prospective families should treat this as a serious flag and ask the admissions office direct questions about retention and student support.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Christian University (this school) | 30 | $32,839 | $51,612 |
| Saint Leo University | 30 | $21,293 | $48,364 |
| Calvary University | 30 | $16,334 | $45,421 |
| Manhattan Christian College | 29 | $24,213 | $48,860 |
| Asbury University | 29 | $21,401 | $42,368 |
| Belhaven University | 29 | $15,676 | $46,440 |
Who Thrives Here
ACU fits students drawn to the Christian liberal arts model with a conservative evangelical orientation - the school's identity is clearly mission-driven, and that's the primary reason to enroll. Enrollment is just 1,165 students, the Pell rate is 33.9% (moderate), and the Glendale, AZ location offers Phoenix-metro access. The strongest reportable program is Business, with C+ outcomes; Clinical Psychology and Teacher Education round out the visible offerings. Students drawn to other paths would be enrolling in programs too small to generate published outcome data. This is fundamentally a religious-fit choice, not a financial one.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Arizona Christian University scores 30/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $32,839 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $51,612 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 16.3 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 39.9% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $23,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71. 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.
Arizona Christian University: Common Questions
Is Arizona Christian University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Arizona Christian University scores 30/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $32,839 a year after aid against $51,612 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 16.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Arizona Christian University 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 $32,839 a year, or roughly $131,356 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 Arizona Christian University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $51,612 ten years after enrolling, roughly $9,812 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 Arizona Christian University?
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 16.3 years for Arizona Christian University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Arizona Christian University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $23,000, against average earnings of $32,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71. 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 Arizona Christian University?
The six-year graduation rate is 39.9%. 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.