Barry University
Miami, Florida · Private Nonprofit · 77.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 42/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Barry University earns the Below Benchmark tier with an overall ROI score of 42 out of 100 - a result driven by two specific weaknesses: a 37.9% completion rate (sub-score 18) and a 51.1% three-year repayment rate (sub-score 9). On the positive side, Barry's earnings outcomes are reasonable: median 10-year earnings of $55,966 produce a 23.2% premium over high school graduates, the payback period is a fairly contained 11 years. Tuition is $34,350 per year, the average net price is $22,613, and the four-year total cost lands at $90,452. Median debt is $26,997. The retention story is the central concern: nearly two-thirds of students who enroll at Barry never finish, and among those who borrow, roughly half are not making meaningful progress on their loans within three years. Barry is a Catholic university in Miami with strong nursing and health sciences programs, and graduates of those programs do quite well - but the institution-wide outcomes are dragged down by completion attrition.
How Barry 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 Score42/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate37.9% - 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.
Barry University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $34,350/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $34,350/yr |
| Average net price | $22,613/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $90,452 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $55,966 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $43,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,997 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 11 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 37.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 2,212 |
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: $34,350/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $22,613/year, or roughly $90,452 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 $20,804/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $29,180/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,997, 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 ($43,700) and comes to 0.62, 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 | $20,804 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $21,485 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $21,524 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,690 |
| $110,001+ | $29,180 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $20,804 per year, while $30,001-$48,000 pays $21,485 and $48,001-$75,000 pays $21,524 - the aid curve is fairly flat across these brackets, suggesting Barry provides limited need-based discounting beyond Pell. Over four years that's roughly $83,000 - substantial for low-income families, though Pell may offset some of this. The 37.9% completion rate is the main risk for this group.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($75,001-$110,000) pay $25,690 per year. Over four years that's roughly $103,000 - a serious financial commitment, especially given weak overall completion.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning above $110,000 pay $29,180 per year, or roughly $117,000 over four years. At this near-sticker price, the strongest program figures at Barry are in the health programs.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Barry University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $93,608 | B |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $64,210 | C |
| Biology | $60,471 | D |
| Psychology | $44,016 | D |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $65,951 | C |
| Public Administration | $97,702 | B+ |
| Political Science and Government | $51,180 | C |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $47,019 | - |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $89,971 | C |
| Social Work | $61,820 | 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.
Registered Nursing
Nursing is Barry's largest and most defensible program with 131 graduates per year. Median earnings of $81,868 first year and $93,608 by year four against $31,000 of debt produce a 0.379 debt-to-earnings ratio and a B ROI grade. Miami's massive healthcare labor market makes this credential immediately valuable - this is the single strongest reason to attend Barry.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business graduates 76 students per year with a C ROI grade. Median earnings of $54,266 first year and $64,210 by year four against $31,733 of debt produce a 0.585 debt-to-earnings ratio. Earnings reflect the Miami business labor market reasonably well; the relatively heavy debt prevents this from clearing into B territory.
Biology
Biology graduates 40 students per year with a D ROI grade. Median earnings of $32,556 first year against $30,500 of debt produce a 0.937 debt-to-earnings ratio. As is typical for biology bachelor's, students need graduate or professional school to capture the field's earnings; the bachelor's alone produces weak outcomes. Barry biology students should be on a firm pre-med, pre-PA, or pre-grad-school trajectory.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 36 students per year with a D ROI grade. Median earnings of $27,743 first year against $26,875 of debt produce a 0.969 debt-to-earnings ratio - nearly a dollar of debt for every dollar of first-year earnings. Students need to plan for graduate school; the bachelor's alone is not financially viable at Barry's price point.
Allied Health Diagnostic and Treatment
Allied Health is Barry's standout program with extraordinary outcomes: median first-year earnings of $144,190 (this likely reflects clinical doctorate or graduate-level certifications captured in the data) and four-year earnings of $134,968. Against $31,250 of debt, the 0.217 debt-to-earnings ratio earns an A ROI grade. With just 10 graduates per year this is a small specialized track, but for the right student it represents a strong value play.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 41.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 51.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 50.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 58.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Barry 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 | 77.2% |
| Enrollment | 2,212 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,861 |
Barry admits 77.2% of applicants. The 37.9% completion rate is the bigger story - Barry serves a heavily Hispanic, working-class Miami student population, and the financial and academic pressures on these students lead to substantial attrition. Prospective students should ask serious questions about retention services and probe whether they have the financial cushion to weather four years.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry University (this school) | 42 | $22,613 | $55,966 |
| Ashland University | 47 | $21,988 | $52,928 |
| University of Mount Union | 44 | $23,280 | $53,217 |
| Concordia University-Wisconsin | 43 | $36,201 | $56,075 |
| Baptist University of Florida | 31 | $10,372 | $42,836 |
| Bethune-Cookman University | 9 | $12,030 | $38,518 |
Who Thrives Here
Barry fits Miami-area students drawn to a Catholic mission with health sciences strengths. Enrollment is 2,212, the Pell rate is 39.1% (heavily working-class), and the school's 131-graduate Nursing program is a major regional pipeline. Strong-fit students: those targeting Nursing, Allied Health, Public Administration, or Social Work and able to leverage Miami's substantial healthcare employer base. Weak-fit students: those drifting into Liberal Arts (F grade), Psychology, or general Biology, where the program-level ROI math is poor. The 51% repayment rate is a serious flag; many graduates struggle financially even after completing.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Barry University scores 42/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,613 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $55,966 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 11 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: its 37.9% graduation rate, a three-year loan repayment rate of 51.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%).
Median debt of $26,997 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $43,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62, 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.
Barry University: Common Questions
Is Barry University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Barry University scores 42/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,613 a year after aid against $55,966 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 11 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Barry 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 $22,613 a year, or roughly $90,452 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 Barry University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $55,966 ten years after enrolling, roughly $14,166 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 Barry 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 11 years for Barry University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Barry University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,997, against average earnings of $43,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.62. 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 Barry University?
The six-year graduation rate is 37.9%. 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.