Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Cheyney, Pennsylvania · Public
ROI Score: 11/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, the oldest historically Black university in the country, scores 11 out of 100 on the CampusROI framework, a painful number that requires honest treatment. The school has weathered decades of state-system underinvestment and enrollment decline, and the Scorecard data captures that distress: a 40.6% completion rate, 23.7K in 6-year average earnings, 37.8K at year 10, a 69.5-year payback period that effectively means earnings never recoup cost on standard discount assumptions, and the three-year repayment rate that is 42.9%. In-state tuition is $10,904, net price is $14,265, the 4-year cost is $57,060, and median debt of $21,785 is not extreme. The structural issue is earnings: graduates leave with credentials into a labor market where their first-year wages cannot service even moderate debt. Cheyney is undergoing institutional reset under PASSHE oversight; current data reflects the pre-reset state, and prospective students should weigh the institution's recovery trajectory carefully.
How Cheyney University of Pennsylvania 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 Score11/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $10,904/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,870/yr |
| Average net price | $14,265/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $57,060 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $37,837 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $23,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $21,785 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $231 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 40.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 617 |
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: $10,904/year ($18,870/year out-of-state), which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $14,265/year, or roughly $57,060 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 $13,585/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $16,493/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $21,785, which works out to about $231 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($23,700) and comes to 0.92, 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 | $13,585 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $12,358 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $14,773 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $20,215 |
| $110,001+ | $16,493 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $13,585 net, and the $30,001-$48,000 band actually pays less at $12,358, a small inverted-bracket flag worth noting. Over four years, low-income students face roughly $54,340 of cost, which is meaningful but covered substantially by Pell and federal loans. The cost math is workable; the earnings math is the constraint.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $14,773 and the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $20,215, with significant cliff between those two brackets. Middle-income families with one foot above $75K face an aid drop that pushes total 4-year cost above $80K, against which the school's earnings outcomes do not pencil.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $16,493 net, less than the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays. This is an inverted bracket flag: the highest-income families pay less than upper-middle. The pattern likely reflects sample size (very few high-income enrollees) rather than policy, but families in the upper-middle band should not assume the published curve is stable.
Earnings by Major
Top 2 most popular majors at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $44,072 | - |
| Sociology | $47,889 | - |
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 graduates 16 students. Year-one earnings are not reported; 4-year earnings come in at $44,072. The cohort is small enough that debt and ratio data is suppressed, so a defensible ROI grade is not computable. The 4-year figure suggests that business graduates who persist into mid-career roles do see meaningful wage progression, but the small sample makes the population-level signal weak.
Sociology
Sociology graduates 13 students with $28,128 in year-one earnings and $47,889 at year four. Debt and ratio data are suppressed. The earnings curve from $28K to $48K is healthier than the school median, consistent with sociology graduates entering social-services, case-management, and community-work roles where municipal and nonprofit employers pay on stable scales. Worth noting that the cohort is small enough that the 4-year figure may not be a reliable population estimator.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 29.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 42.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 27.3% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 33.6% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’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 | 617 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 66.0% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $10,536 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data, consistent with an open-access PASSHE posture. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are also not reported. Cheyney functions as an open-enrollment regional public, and the 40.6% completion rate suggests that academic-preparation gaps among entering students combined with limited institutional resources have produced persistent retention challenges. Students who arrive prepared and connected to support services fare best.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyney University of Pennsylvania (this school) | 11 | $14,265 | $37,837 |
| Le Moyne-Owen College | 11 | $7,099 | $35,594 |
| Paul Quinn College | 11 | $12,709 | $29,288 |
| Alabama A & M University | 10 | $17,621 | $40,628 |
| University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | 10 | $12,653 | $35,550 |
| Lincoln University | 10 | $19,092 | $39,463 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See Cheyney University of Pennsylvania side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
Cheyney fits students seeking the HBCU experience at a low in-state public price who are willing to leverage institutional support services aggressively. With 617 students and a 66% Pell rate, this is a very low-income, mission-driven population. The fit works for students with strong academic preparation who want a small-scale HBCU environment and Philadelphia-region proximity. The fit is weaker for students who would benefit from a more resourced larger HBCU where outcomes data is much stronger.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania scores 11/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $14,265 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $37,837 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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 40.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.92 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 42.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $21,785 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $23,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.92. 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.
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania: Common Questions
Is Cheyney University of Pennsylvania worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Cheyney University of Pennsylvania scores 11/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $14,265 a year after aid against $37,837 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Cheyney University of Pennsylvania 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 $14,265 a year, or roughly $57,060 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 Cheyney University of Pennsylvania graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $37,837 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Cheyney University of Pennsylvania?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Cheyney University of Pennsylvania graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $21,785, against average earnings of $23,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.92. 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 Cheyney University of Pennsylvania?
The six-year graduation rate is 40.6%. 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.