Boston Architectural College
Boston, Massachusetts · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 43/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Boston Architectural College earns a 43/100 ROI score and the Below Benchmark tier - a result that requires context. BAC is a unique institution: a private, professional architecture school with a longstanding tradition of pairing rigorous design education with concurrent paid practice (the 'concurrent learning' model where students work in architecture firms while studying). Average earnings six years after entry are $40,200, climbing to a median $62,123 by year ten. The earnings premium of 26.2% is solid (58/100). Net price averages $25,865 against a $27,470 sticker - limited institutional aid. Total four-year cost is $103,460, but BAC's program is typically 5+ years for the full B.Arch credential. Median federal debt is $37,250, producing a 0.927 debt-to-earnings ratio (sub-score 7/100). The implied payback period is 9 years, helped by reasonable mid-career earnings. Completion is 31.6%, very weak - though BAC's working-student population means many take longer than 6 years to complete (Scorecard's measurement window) and aren't captured as completers. Repayment is 77% three-year, decent but falling to 55% five-year. Honest read: BAC's specialized architecture pipeline produces real career outcomes for students who complete, but the debt load is severe, and only a third of starters finish on standard timelines.
How Boston Architectural 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 Score43/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate31.6% - 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.
Boston Architectural College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $27,470/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $27,470/yr |
| Average net price | $25,865/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $103,460 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $62,123 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $40,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $37,250 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $395 |
| Estimated payback period | 9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 31.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 280 |
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: $27,470/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $25,865/year, or roughly $103,460 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 $24,056/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $37,250, which works out to about $395 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($40,200) and comes to 0.93, 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 | $24,056 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $14,348 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $30,097 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $34,343 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $24,056 net price. Note bracket inversion: the $30K-$48K bracket pays $14,348, dramatically less than the lowest-income bracket - a major data anomaly. This pattern is unusual and likely reflects small-cohort statistical noise (BAC's tiny enrollment) plus targeted scholarship programs. Pell-eligible families should run BAC's own net-price calculator rather than rely on aggregated brackets.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $14,348 ($30K-$48K), $30,097 ($48K-$75K), and $34,343 ($75K-$110K). The aid curve zigzags with the inversion noted above, then rises sharply - families just above the $30K-$48K range face the steepest cliff in the school's aid structure.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $110K+ bracket is null - not enough students at this income level enroll to produce reliable bracket data, consistent with BAC's working-adult demographic. Families considering BAC at high income should run the net-price calculator. With $62,123 ten-year median earnings, the financial case for BAC at $30K+ annual net cost relies on the architecture-licensure career payoff.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Boston Architectural College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | $82,268 | D |
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.
Architecture
Architecture is BAC's entire program. Graduates earn $55,079 one year out and $82,268 four years out - reasonable architecture-career trajectories given Massachusetts and Boston firm wages. Median debt is $53,192 (well above the school median because architecture students borrow more heavily than the working-adult cohort), producing a 0.966 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). 16 graduates per cohort. The architecture profession's structural reality - long path to licensure, capped early-career wages - makes this debt level financially difficult. Students should pursue this credential only with a clear path to licensure and ideally with concurrent employment to limit borrowing.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 76.8% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 76.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 54.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 63.2% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Boston Architectural 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
| Enrollment | 280 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 28.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,127 |
BAC's admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, consistent with portfolio-based admissions where small applicant pools and rolling decisions produce reporting gaps. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are also not reported because the school evaluates portfolios rather than test scores. The 31.6% completion rate is weak but partially reflects the unusual concurrent-learning model: students who work full-time while studying often take 7-10 years to complete, falling outside the 6-year measurement window.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Architectural College (this school) | 43 | $25,865 | $62,123 |
| Amherst College | 90 | $23,367 | $77,644 |
| Methodist College | 46 | $41,787 | $69,800 |
| John Paul the Great Catholic University | 46 | $34,666 | $56,930 |
| Warner Pacific University | 43 | $25,629 | $55,204 |
| American International College | 38 | $23,274 | $53,124 |
Who Thrives Here
BAC enrolls just 280 undergraduates with a 28.8% Pell rate. The student body is heavily working-adult and career-changer professionals already employed in design or construction fields, drawn by BAC's unique work-while-studying model and NAAB-accredited B.Arch credential. The fit profile is narrow but clear: students with active employment in architecture or related design fields who can leverage BAC's concurrent-learning structure.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Boston Architectural College scores 43/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $25,865 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $62,123 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 9 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 31.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.93 (median across the schools we score: 0.61).
Median debt of $37,250 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $40,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.93. 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.
Boston Architectural College: Common Questions
Is Boston Architectural College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Boston Architectural College scores 43/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $25,865 a year after aid against $62,123 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Boston Architectural 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 $25,865 a year, or roughly $103,460 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 Boston Architectural College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $62,123 ten years after enrolling, roughly $20,323 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 Boston Architectural 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 9 years for Boston Architectural College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Boston Architectural College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $37,250, against average earnings of $40,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.93. 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 Boston Architectural College?
The six-year graduation rate is 31.6%. 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.