Central Christian College of Kansas
McPherson, Kansas · Private Nonprofit · 52.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 28/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Central Christian College of Kansas earns an overall ROI score of 28 (Below Benchmark). The small Christian college in McPherson, KS charges $21,000 in tuition with an average net price of just $11,404. Four-year cost runs $45,616, which is genuinely affordable. The problem is what happens after enrollment. Completion is just 27%, meaning nearly three in four entering students leave without a degree. For those who do graduate, earnings are $30,400 six years out and $44,468 at 10 years, with $27,000 median debt and a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.888. Payback runs 19.6 years. Repayment is moderate at 73.9% three-year. The institution's price structure is sympathetic to working-class families, but the completion math erases that advantage for most enrollees. The net-price-by-income data also shows inverted brackets where the 30-48K cohort pays $5,816 while higher brackets pay more - a discount pattern worth understanding before enrolling.
How Central Christian College of Kansas 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 Score28/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate27.0% - 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.
- Payback period19.6 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Central Christian College of Kansas
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $21,000/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $21,000/yr |
| Average net price | $11,404/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $45,616 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,468 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $30,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $286 |
| Estimated payback period | 19.6 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 27.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 380 |
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: $21,000/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $11,404/year, or roughly $45,616 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 $11,689/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $15,113/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $27,000, which works out to about $286 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($30,400) and comes to 0.89, 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 | $11,689 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $5,816 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $10,941 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $17,373 |
| $110,001+ | $15,113 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $11,689 net - a workable number against any reasonable post-graduate earnings. Four-year cost is roughly $47K. The risk here is not cost but completion. Pell-eligible students who can finish will be in a strong position; the 73% who do not are the concern.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The 30-48K bracket pays $5,816 - the lowest of any income tier. This is an inverted bracket, paying less than the lowest-income tier. The 48-75K bracket pays $10,941 (still excellent) but the 75-110K bracket jumps to $17,373. Aid is highly need-targeted at the lower-middle band.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families over $110K pay $15,113 - actually less than the 75-110K bracket ($17,373), another inverted pattern. At $60K four-year cost, this is still affordable for the income band. The bigger question for high-income families is whether the mission fit justifies the completion risk.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Central Christian College of Kansas with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $47,201 | D |
| Psychology | $43,002 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $74,997 | C |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $46,060 | F |
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.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice is Central Christian's strongest performer at a C grade. Graduates earn $55,453 one year out and $74,997 at four years against $36,076 median debt. The debt is heavier than the institutional median (suggesting students in this program borrow more), but earnings trajectory is robust enough to absorb it. Debt-to-earnings of 0.651 is workable. 17 graduates per cycle.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration shows an unusual pattern - $54,848 first-year earnings but only $47,201 at four years, meaning early-career grads start strong but mid-career earnings stall. Median debt is $48,554 producing a 0.885 ratio. D grade. 26 graduates. The high debt load combined with stalled mid-career earnings makes this a poor financial track despite the strong starting wage.
Psychology
Psychology pulls a D grade with 21 graduates. Median debt $37,500 against $43,002 four-year earnings - a 0.872 debt-to-earnings ratio. The undergraduate debt load is heavy for a discipline that typically requires graduate study to reach professional wages. Students considering this path need a clear graduate-school strategy.
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Health and Medical Administrative Services earns an F with just 4 graduates. Debt of $48,000 against $39,637 first-year earnings produces a 1.211 ratio - meaning students owe more than they earn in a year. This is a small program where individual outcomes drive the average, but at this scale the data should be read with caution by prospective enrollees.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 69.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 73.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 60.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 72.5% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Central Christian College of Kansas’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 | 52.7% |
| Enrollment | 380 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 52.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,534 |
Central Christian admits 52.7% of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported. The selectivity is moderate, but the 27% completion rate suggests admissions readiness is mixed and academic support infrastructure is limited at this enrollment scale (380 students).
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Christian College of Kansas (this school) | 28 | $11,404 | $44,468 |
| Asbury University | 29 | $21,401 | $42,368 |
| Belhaven University | 29 | $15,676 | $46,440 |
| Liberty University | 28 | $29,357 | $44,813 |
| Lee University | 27 | $18,878 | $43,222 |
| Howard Payne University | 27 | $23,627 | $48,376 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See Central Christian College of Kansas side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
Central Christian fits students drawn to evangelical Christian formation in a tiny (380-student) community, where the affordability story is real for low-income families. Pell rate is 52.4% - this is a working-class student body. The institution serves a niche, and for the right student the cost structure works, but the 27% completion rate is the dominant risk factor any family must weigh. Criminal Justice is the most defensible academic track here.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Central Christian College of Kansas scores 28/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $11,404 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,468 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 19.6 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, its 27.0% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $27,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $30,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89. 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.
Central Christian College of Kansas: Common Questions
Is Central Christian College of Kansas worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Central Christian College of Kansas scores 28/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $11,404 a year after aid against $44,468 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 19.6 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Central Christian College of Kansas 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 $11,404 a year, or roughly $45,616 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 Central Christian College of Kansas graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,468 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,668 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 Central Christian College of Kansas?
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 19.6 years for Central Christian College of Kansas. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Central Christian College of Kansas graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $27,000, against average earnings of $30,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89. 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 Central Christian College of Kansas?
The six-year graduation rate is 27.0%. 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.