Cairn University-Langhorne
Langhorne, Pennsylvania · Private Nonprofit · 88.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 25/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Cairn University earns an overall ROI score of 25 (Below Benchmark) on CampusROI's framework. The Christian-mission school in Langhorne, PA charges $34,009 in published tuition and an average net price of $27,642, putting four-year cost of attendance near $110,568. The drivers of the weak score are clear: average earnings six years after entry are only $30,600 (rising to a median $44,172 at 10 years), debt-to-earnings sits at 0.88, and the calculated payback period stretches to 27.3 years. The bright spot is the 59.7% completion rate. Repayment behavior is mixed at 71.5% one-year. In plain terms, students who graduate stay enrolled in repayment, but earnings simply do not climb fast enough to offset the borrowed $26,926 median balance. Families considering Cairn for vocational ministry should weigh the spiritual fit against the financial math.
How Cairn University-Langhorne 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 Score25/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period27.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Cairn University-Langhorne
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $34,009/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $34,009/yr |
| Average net price | $27,642/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $110,568 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,172 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $30,600 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,926 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $285 |
| Estimated payback period | 27.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 59.7% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 775 |
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: $34,009/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $27,642/year, or roughly $110,568 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 $24,029/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $33,129/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,926, which works out to about $285 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($30,600) and comes to 0.88, 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 | $24,029 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $23,867 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $26,050 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $26,309 |
| $110,001+ | $33,129 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay an average $24,029 net per year at Cairn - roughly $96,000 across four years. That is a heavy lift relative to the $30,600 average early-career earnings these graduates report. Without substantial outside scholarships or denominational aid, the math does not work, and federal Pell plus subsidized loans alone will not bridge the gap. Cost is barely lower for the 30-48K bracket at $23,867.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48K-$110K) pay $26,050 to $26,309 net per year, almost no aid discount versus higher-income brackets. Four-year total runs $104K-$105K. Debt-to-earnings is 0.88, from $26,926 in median debt against $30,600 average 6-year earnings. This is the bracket where Cairn looks priciest relative to outcomes.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families over $110K pay $33,129 net per year - effectively close to full sticker. Wealthier families absorbing this cash-flow are subsidizing mission, not capturing financial ROI.
Earnings by Major
Top 5 most popular majors at Cairn University-Langhorne with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $61,973 | C+ |
| Psychology | $36,295 | - |
| Social Work | $45,729 | D |
| Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries | $47,805 | - |
| Religion/Religious Studies | $55,492 | 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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration is Cairn's best-performing program with a C+ ROI grade. Graduates earn $50,263 one year out and $61,973 at four years, against median program debt of $26,887. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.535 is well below the institutional average of 0.88. With 19 graduates per cycle it is a modest program, but it functions as the financially defensible track at a school where most majors do not clear that bar.
Social Work
Social Work pulls a D grade. Graduates earn $36,289 one year out and $45,729 at four years against $27,000 median debt - a 0.744 debt-to-earnings ratio. Students drawn to social work for mission reasons should still run the math on the borrowed capital.
Religion/Religious Studies
Religion/Religious Studies earns a D with the highest debt-to-earnings ratio in Cairn's reportable programs at 0.887. Graduates carry $30,750 median debt against $34,663 first-year earnings. For students entering ministry as a primary career, the Scorecard earnings data understates true vocation value, but it accurately reflects what banks and federal underwriters see when loan repayment starts.
Psychology
Psychology graduates 16 students per cycle with $36,295 in median four-year earnings. Earnings and debt detail are partially suppressed, but the four-year figure suggests undergraduate psych alone is not a clear path to professional wages here.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 69.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 71.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 74.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 78.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Cairn University-Langhorne’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 | 88.2% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 460-570 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 540-590 |
| Enrollment | 775 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 32.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,206 |
Cairn is broadly accessible with an 88.2% admission rate. Reported SAT mid-ranges are 460-570 math and 540-590 reading; ACT mid-ranges are not reported. The low selectivity bar means academic preparation varies widely across each incoming class, and that variance helps explain why the 59.7% completion rate is solid for the sector but still leaves four in ten students walking away without a credential.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairn University-Langhorne (this school) | 25 | $27,642 | $44,172 |
| Albright College | 56 | $20,024 | $58,700 |
| Bryn Athyn College of the New Church | 34 | $20,586 | $40,457 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
| Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz | 17 | $21,437 | $35,023 |
Who Thrives Here
Cairn fits students drawn to evangelical Christian formation who want a small (775-student) campus and are willing to accept a 30.6K early-career earnings reality. Pell rate is 32.1%, suggesting a moderate mix of working- and middle-income families. Business Administration is the standout program at a C+ grade. Anyone aiming at psychology, social work, or religious studies as a primary career path should price-in the 27-plus year payback window before signing the enrollment deposit.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Cairn University-Langhorne scores 25/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $27,642 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,172 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 27.3 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 0.88 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 71.5% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,926 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $30,600 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. 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.
Cairn University-Langhorne: Common Questions
Is Cairn University-Langhorne worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Cairn University-Langhorne scores 25/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $27,642 a year after aid against $44,172 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 27.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Cairn University-Langhorne 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 $27,642 a year, or roughly $110,568 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 Cairn University-Langhorne graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,172 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,372 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 Cairn University-Langhorne?
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 27.3 years for Cairn University-Langhorne. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Cairn University-Langhorne graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,926, against average earnings of $30,600 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.88. 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 Cairn University-Langhorne?
The six-year graduation rate is 59.7%. 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.