Beacon College
Leesburg, Florida · Private Nonprofit · 43.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 27/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida is a specialized private nonprofit serving students with learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning differences - a mission that fundamentally shapes how to read its ROI numbers. The Below Benchmark score of 27/100 reflects two hard realities: a 999-year payback period (earnings never recoup cost in any plausible timeline) and a slightly negative earnings premium of -2.6%. Tuition is $51,680 per year, with a net price of $53,517 that actually exceeds tuition - meaning aid is minimal and the full cost lands at roughly $214,068 over four years. Median ten-year earnings are just $29,420. The bright spot is a 60.2% completion rate, which is meaningful given Beacon's mission: students who succeed here have often struggled at conventional colleges, and the institution provides the structure to finish. Six-year average earnings are not reported (small cohort or suppressed). For families without significant resources, the cost is genuinely prohibitive.
How Beacon 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 Score27/100 - 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.
Beacon College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $51,680/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $51,680/yr |
| Average net price | $53,517/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $214,068 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $29,420 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | N/A |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $265 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 60.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 506 |
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: $51,680/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 $53,517/year, or roughly $214,068 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 $47,601/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $58,721/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. We do not have the six-year earnings figure needed to work out a debt-to-earnings ratio for this school.
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 | $47,601 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $47,213 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $52,117 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $55,423 |
| $110,001+ | $58,721 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 still pay $47,601 per year net. Four-year cost is $190,000+. The institutional aid does not scale meaningfully with need. For most low-income families, Beacon is simply out of reach without external scholarship or family resources.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $47,213 (curiously slightly less than the lowest bracket - a minor inverted-bracket flag), then $52,117 and $55,423 for the higher brackets. Four-year cost runs $189,000-$222,000. Even families earning $75,000-$110,000 face a price tag that essentially requires significant borrowing or substantial family savings.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $58,721 per year - more than sticker tuition because of room, board, and fees. Four-year cost is $234,884. This is the income range where Beacon is genuinely accessible, and where families paying for specialized LD support typically come from. The non-financial value of the mission may justify the cost for these families.
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 | 57.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | N/A | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Beacon College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 43.5% |
| Enrollment | 506 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 23.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,234 |
Beacon admits 43.47% of applicants - moderately selective, but the selectivity reflects fit screening (the school accepts only students with documented learning differences) rather than academic gatekeeping. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, consistent with a test-optional approach for an LD-focused population where standardized tests often understate ability. The completion rate of 60% is remarkable given the population served.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon College (this school) | 27 | $53,517 | $29,420 |
| Barry University | 42 | $22,613 | $55,966 |
| Baptist University of Florida | 31 | $10,372 | $42,836 |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 29 | $22,451 | $46,945 |
| Sterling College | 26 | $22,371 | $45,846 |
| Touro University Worldwide | 24 | $19,058 | $40,803 |
Who Thrives Here
Beacon enrolls 506 students with a 23.5% Pell rate. The fit is highly specific: students with documented learning disabilities (especially dyslexia, ADHD, and ASD) whose families can afford or finance roughly $214,000 in four-year costs. For this population, no real substitute exists - most colleges offer accommodations. Strong outcomes for the intended audience are persistence and credential attainment, not labor-market earnings premiums.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Beacon College scores 27/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $53,517 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $29,420 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 to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a long payback period.
Beacon College: Common Questions
Is Beacon College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Beacon College scores 27/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $53,517 a year after aid against $29,420 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 Beacon 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 $53,517 a year, or roughly $214,068 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 Beacon College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $29,420 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 Beacon 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 Beacon College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
What is the graduation rate at Beacon College?
The six-year graduation rate is 60.2%. 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.