Chestnut Hill College
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Private Nonprofit · 74.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 28/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Chestnut Hill College, a Catholic-affiliated institution in northwest Philadelphia, posts a 28/100 ROI score in our Below Benchmark tier. Sticker tuition of $39,870 is reduced to a $27,970 net price by institutional discounting (about a 30% effective discount), pushing four-year cost to $111,880. Earnings of $33,800 six years out climb to $52,015 by year ten, producing a 15.2% earnings premium. Median debt of $26,389 yields a 0.78 debt-to-earnings ratio, and the 14.8-year payback period is moderate. The school's biggest weakness is the repayment trajectory: 47.2% one-year, 54.6% three-year, 54.7% five-year, 60.9% seven-year - graduates take a long time to make meaningful progress on debt. Completion rate of 48.8% is weak. With 815 students and a 52.1% Pell rate, CHC serves a heavily working-class Philadelphia-area population - the high Pell rate reflects the school's commitment to access for first-generation and low-income students. Strong outcomes for the small accounting cohort and acceptable for business administration; the larger flow into criminal justice, security science, human services, and psychology produces difficult debt-to-earnings math. CHC's value proposition rests on its Catholic-Sisters of Saint Joseph mission and Philadelphia-area location.
How Chestnut Hill 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 Score28/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
Chestnut Hill College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $39,870/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $39,870/yr |
| Average net price | $27,970/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $111,880 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $52,015 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,389 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $280 |
| Estimated payback period | 14.8 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 48.8% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 815 |
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: $39,870/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $27,970/year, or roughly $111,880 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 $28,011/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $33,175/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,389, which works out to about $280 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,800) and comes to 0.78, 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 | $28,011 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $24,447 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $22,714 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $28,168 |
| $110,001+ | $33,175 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $28,011 net - extraordinarily high relative to income. Across four years that's $112,044 against $33,800 graduate earnings. Pell, PA State Grant, and CHC institutional aid help, but the documented 54.6% three-year repayment rate suggests low-income borrowers genuinely struggle. The math is difficult.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The brackets show clear inversions: $30,001 - $48,000 pays $24,447, $48,001 - $75,000 pays $22,714 (the LOWEST published bracket), then $75,001 - $110,000 jumps to $28,168. Middle-income families in the $48-75K band pay materially LESS than both adjacent brackets - a pattern likely reflecting CHC's institutional-aid concentration in this income tier. The $48-75K bracket is the cleanest value at CHC.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $33,175 - about $132,700 across four years, well above the published $111,880 total cost figure. High-income full-pay families pay close to or above sticker. The financial math is genuinely difficult at this price point against $33,800 graduate earnings; full-pay families choosing CHC are doing so for the small Catholic college community, not ROI.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Chestnut Hill College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Human Services, General | $48,375 | F |
| Security Science and Technology | $60,744 | D |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $66,885 | C |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $57,831 | D |
| Teacher Education | $51,339 | C |
| Psychology | $47,591 | D |
| Biology | $37,675 | D |
| Accounting | $80,579 | C+ |
| Communication and Media Studies | $43,323 | D |
| Business/Corporate Communications | $48,643 | - |
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.
Human Services, General
Human Services is CHC's largest program: 31 graduates with first-year earnings of $40,336 climbing to $48,375 by year four. Median debt of $43,125 (the highest in CHC's program data) yields a 1.07 debt-to-earnings ratio (F grade). The combination of high debt and modest earnings produces difficult math; students typically need MSW or other graduate credentials to make this field financially viable. CHC's Catholic-mission framing fits the social-services calling, but the financial reality is challenging.
Security Science and Technology
Security Science graduates 24 students with first-year earnings of $46,079 climbing to $60,744 by year four. Median debt of $35,000 yields a 0.76 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). Pipeline into Philadelphia and Mid-Atlantic federal agencies, security firms, and corporate security roles. The four-year earnings are reasonable; the high debt load makes the early years tough but the trajectory improves substantially with experience and clearance acquisition.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration graduates 23 students with first-year earnings of $48,995 climbing to $66,885 by year four. Median debt of $27,000 yields a 0.55 debt-to-earnings ratio (C grade). One of CHC's best-performing programs financially. Direct placement into Philadelphia-area corporate roles, with strong four-year earnings recovery suggesting graduates leverage internship-to-full-time pathways effectively.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice graduates 22 students with first-year earnings of $46,417 climbing to $57,831 by year four. Median debt of $37,125 yields a 0.80 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). Strong first-year earnings reflect the metro Philly law-enforcement labor market; high debt load makes the early years difficult but trajectory improves.
Teacher Education
Teacher Education graduates 22 students with first-year earnings of $41,129 climbing to $51,339 by year four. Median debt of $27,000 yields a 0.66 debt-to-earnings ratio (C grade). One of CHC's defensible vocational tracks.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 47.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 54.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 54.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 60.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Chestnut Hill 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 | 74.5% |
| Enrollment | 815 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 52.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,821 |
CHC admits 74.5% of applicants - moderately selective with broad accessibility.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chestnut Hill College (this school) | 28 | $27,970 | $52,015 |
| Albright College | 56 | $20,024 | $58,700 |
| Bryn Athyn College of the New Church | 34 | $20,586 | $40,457 |
| Lees-McRae College | 28 | $28,340 | $43,415 |
| Hampshire College | 27 | $24,034 | $46,938 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
Who Thrives Here
CHC fits Philadelphia-area students drawn to its Catholic Sisters of Saint Joseph mission, small-college environment, and northwest Philly campus. With 815 students and a 52.1% Pell rate, the campus is small, working-class-majority, and access-oriented. Strong outcomes for accounting and business administration students; weaker for the larger flows into human services, psychology, and communications.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Chestnut Hill College scores 28/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $27,970 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $52,015 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 14.8 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 48.8% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.78 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 54.6% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,389 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.78. 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.
Chestnut Hill College: Common Questions
Is Chestnut Hill College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Chestnut Hill College scores 28/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $27,970 a year after aid against $52,015 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 14.8 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Chestnut Hill 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 $27,970 a year, or roughly $111,880 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 Chestnut Hill College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $52,015 ten years after enrolling, roughly $10,215 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 Chestnut Hill 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 14.8 years for Chestnut Hill College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Chestnut Hill College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,389, against average earnings of $33,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.78. 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 Chestnut Hill College?
The six-year graduation rate is 48.8%. 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.