Boston Architectural College
Boston, Massachusetts · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 43/100 · Poor Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Boston Architectural College earns a 43/100 ROI score and a Poor Value 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). Median earnings six years after entry are $40,200, climbing to $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 - the highest in our dataset - producing a brutal 0.927 debt-to-earnings ratio (the school's worst sub-score at 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. Prospective architecture students should compare against Northeastern's co-op architecture program or a state-school B.Arch.
The data raises concerns about Boston Architectural College
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score43/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate31.6% - Well below the 60% national average. Non-completion is the fastest route to negative ROI.
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 |
| Median 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. Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. 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.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $37,250 in federal loans, which works out to about $395 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $62,123 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 0.93, within the range advisors call workable but worth keeping an eye on.
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. The $48K-$75K bracket pays $30K+ net, expensive for a 5-year program.
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 brutal 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 | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 76.8% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 76.5% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 54.7% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 63.2% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Boston Architectural College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2023).
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 by any measure 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.
BAC's peer set is largely irrelevant: it includes American International College, Amherst College, John Paul the Great Catholic University, Methodist College, and Warner Pacific University - none of which are architecture schools. Amherst is wildly mis-categorized in this list (a top-10 liberal arts college). More appropriate comparators would be other architecture-focused institutions like Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design (architecture program), or California College of the Arts. Within professional architecture education BAC is mid-pack on cost and below average on completion.
| 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. Traditional 18-year-old architecture aspirants would do better at university B.Arch programs (Northeastern, Syracuse, Cornell) where the cohort experience and structured curriculum produce stronger completion rates.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
We'll be straight with you: the numbers at Boston Architectural College are a real concern. With a net cost of $25,865 per year and the typical graduate earning only $62,123 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds 9 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost - go in with your eyes open.
What to keep an eye on: its 31.6% graduation rate, high debt relative to what graduates earn.
Median debt of $37,250 against $62,123 in earnings is reasonable, though your major matters a lot here. Graduates in higher-earning fields will see the better end of this.
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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.