Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois · Private Nonprofit · 63.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 34/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Blackburn College earns a Below Benchmark ROI score of 34, reflecting solid completion but weak earnings outcomes that produce a heavy debt-to-earnings burden. Median undergraduate debt of $24,242 produces a 0.819 debt-to-earnings ratio (subscore 13), and the payback period stretches to 18.1 years. Net price of $18,460 against $28,149 sticker tuition is heavily discounted, which keeps total 4-year cost ($73,840) in regional-LAC range. Completion rate is 57.5% (subscore 56) - a relative strength - and repayment performance is moderate at 75.6%. The earnings premium over high-school medians is 16%. Blackburn is best known for its work-college program, where students offset costs through campus labor, which can materially shift the borrowing math for individual students who fully participate. The published numbers reflect aggregate outcomes, not the work-program's cost-offset benefit, so the lived experience for some students may exceed what these scores suggest.
How Blackburn 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 Score34/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period18.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Blackburn College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $28,149/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $28,149/yr |
| Average net price | $18,460/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $73,840 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,802 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,242 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $257 |
| Estimated payback period | 18.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 57.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 471 |
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: $28,149/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $18,460/year, or roughly $73,840 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 $16,838/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $23,305/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,242, which works out to about $257 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($29,600) and comes to 0.82, 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 | $16,838 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,781 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,329 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,013 |
| $110,001+ | $23,305 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $16,838, and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays just $14,781 - aid scales meaningfully with need. The $48,001-$75,000 bracket actually pays the lowest at $12,329, an inverted pattern worth flagging. For Pell-eligible students who fully participate in the work program, effective net cost can fall further. Even so, with 10-year earnings near $47,000, low-income students should aim to keep total borrowing under $20,000.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket sees the most generous net price at $12,329, but $75,001-$110,000 jumps sharply to $23,013 - an $11,000 cliff that punishes upper-middle-income families. Total 4-year cost varies dramatically across this range, from $49,000 to $92,000. Middle-income families should run the net price calculator carefully; outcomes vary significantly with bracket placement.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $23,305 net annually, totaling roughly $93,000 across four years. With 10-year earnings of $46,802, the math is questionable for full-pay students unless the work-college mission is the primary draw.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Blackburn College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $46,283 | C |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $46,004 | D |
| Biology | $54,587 | 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.
Biology
Biology earns a B grade - the strongest program on campus despite small graduate counts of just 5 per year. Four-year median earnings of $54,587 against $24,015 in debt produce a 0.44 debt-to-earnings ratio. The program likely funnels students toward healthcare graduate study, where bachelor-level earnings figures understate true career trajectories. For pre-health committed students, this is the most defensible track at Blackburn.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business administration is the largest program with 13 graduates annually but earns only a C grade. Four-year earnings of $46,283 against $26,000 in debt produce a 0.562 ratio. Career outcomes likely concentrate in regional small-business management and entry-level corporate roles.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal justice earns a D grade with $33,739 first-year earnings rising to $46,004 by year four. Debt of $25,751 produces a 0.763 ratio - heavy relative to wages. Career paths concentrate in state and local law enforcement and corrections, where earnings are constrained by public-sector pay scales. With 9 graduates annually, this is a small program.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 74.6% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 75.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 63.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 67.4% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Blackburn 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 | 63.2% |
| Enrollment | 471 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 49.9% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,514 |
Blackburn's admission rate of 63.2% indicates moderate selectivity. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported in current data - consistent with the school's test-optional posture and small applicant pool. The mid-range admit rate paired with a 57.5% completion rate suggests the school admits students with a reasonable chance of finishing, though academic preparation across the entering class remains heterogeneous.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn College (this school) | 34 | $18,460 | $46,802 |
| Augustana College | 67 | $22,736 | $62,971 |
| Central Baptist College | 40 | $12,287 | $46,789 |
| Boricua College | 37 | $15,245 | $35,348 |
| Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion | 31 | $9,136 | $20,707 |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | 21 | $49,790 | $40,151 |
Who Thrives Here
Enrollment is small at 471 students, with a high Pell rate of 49.9% - nearly half the body is from low-income households. The college fits low-income students committed to the work-college model, where 10-15 hours of weekly campus labor reduces effective borrowing. Outside the work-program context, Blackburn's earnings outcomes do not justify full-pay borrowing. Best-fit students are first-generation, place-bound rural Illinois residents who value the labor-and-learning model.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Blackburn College scores 34/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $18,460 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,802 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 18.1 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 debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,242 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $29,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. 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.
Blackburn College: Common Questions
Is Blackburn College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Blackburn College scores 34/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $18,460 a year after aid against $46,802 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 18.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Blackburn 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 $18,460 a year, or roughly $73,840 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 Blackburn College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,802 ten years after enrolling, roughly $5,002 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 Blackburn 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 18.1 years for Blackburn College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Blackburn College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,242, against average earnings of $29,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.82. 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 Blackburn College?
The six-year graduation rate is 57.5%. 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.