Chowan University
Murfreesboro, North Carolina · Private Nonprofit · 68.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 10/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Chowan University posts a 10 ROI score, deep in Below Benchmark territory. The math is unforgiving: published tuition is $27,910 with a net price of $14,086 after aid, putting the four-year total at $56,344. Median federal debt is $29,491 and ten-year median earnings of $38,412 produce a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.121, meaning typical graduates owe more than they earn in a year. The payback period stretches 57.5 years. Earnings premium over high-school grads is just 6.1 percent. Completion rate is poor at 30 percent and three-year repayment is 55.1 percent, drifting to 39 percent at five years - meaning many borrowers fall further behind over time, not closer to payoff. The Pell rate is 56.6 percent, signaling a heavily low-income student body, and enrollment is small at 603. Chowan's mission as an HBCU-adjacent small private serving eastern North Carolina is real, but the financial structure is broken: low-income students are taking on debt that exceeds what their degrees produce in early-career wages. This is a high-risk enrollment for nearly any student who needs to borrow.
How Chowan University 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 Score10/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.12 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate29.9% - 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 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.
Chowan University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $27,910/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $27,910/yr |
| Average net price | $14,086/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $56,344 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $38,412 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $29,491 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $313 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 29.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 603 |
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: $27,910/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $14,086/year, or roughly $56,344 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 $13,726/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $19,713/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $29,491, which works out to about $313 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,300) and comes to 1.12, 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least 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 | $13,726 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $10,950 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $14,549 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $14,565 |
| $110,001+ | $19,713 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $13,726 per year net, about $54,900 over four years. Pell ($7,395 max) and state grants cover roughly half; the rest typically comes from federal Direct loans. Note the inverted bracket: the $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays LESS ($10,950) than the under-$30K group, suggesting institutional aid formulas that may benefit slightly-higher-income families more. Either way, the earnings outcome ($38,412 at year ten) makes this debt hard to service.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $14,549, very close to the under-$30K figure - middle-income families get essentially no relief here despite higher expected family contribution capacity. This is a common pattern at tuition-discount-heavy small privates: institutional aid floors the price for everyone but does not scale meaningfully with need.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $19,713 - the closest to sticker but still below published tuition. Roughly $79,000 over four years. Affluent families subsidizing this institution via differential pricing should examine the 30 percent completion rate and $38K median earnings before committing.
Earnings by Major
Top 9 most popular majors at Chowan University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | $33,143 | F |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $44,711 | F |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $44,858 | F |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $54,889 | D |
| Biology | $29,508 | D |
| Social Sciences, General | $44,793 | D |
| Graphic Communications | $25,301 | - |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | $36,682 | - |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $39,224 | 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.
Psychology
Psychology produces 29 graduates, the largest cohort on campus. The financial picture is poor: one-year earnings of $30,076 essentially stagnate at $33,143 by year four, against $31,000 median debt, yielding a 1.031 debt-to-earnings ratio and F grade. Psychology BAs nationally need graduate degrees to reach professional pay.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology graduates 24 students with one-year earnings of $25,983 and four-year of $44,711, against $31,581 median debt - a 1.215 ratio and F grade. The kinesiology pathway typically requires DPT, OT, or PA graduate programs to reach professional wages; without that follow-on, graduates work as fitness trainers or athletic-program assistants at modest pay. This is one of the weakest financial bets on campus.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice produces 12 graduates with one-year earnings of $29,109 climbing to $44,858 by year four. Median debt at $39,000 is the highest of any major on campus, producing a 1.34 ratio and F grade. CJ degrees are notoriously oversupplied relative to law-enforcement and corrections hiring; most North Carolina sheriff and police departments hire without requiring a four-year degree. Students could reach the same outcomes at NC community colleges for a tenth the cost.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 51.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 55.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 38.8% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 45.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Chowan University’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 | 68.8% |
| Enrollment | 603 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 56.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,034 |
Chowan admits 68.8 percent of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, suggesting test-optional admissions and a small enough cohort that publishing scores is suppressed. With a 30 percent completion rate, the binding issue is not selectivity but academic preparation and financial stability of incoming students. The correlation between Pell rate and completion is strong here - students juggling financial precarity often cannot finish.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chowan University (this school) | 10 | $14,086 | $38,412 |
| Barton College | 24 | $23,626 | $47,913 |
| Belmont Abbey College | 24 | $24,639 | $47,937 |
| Philander Smith University | 10 | $14,224 | $38,427 |
| Jarvis Christian University | 4 | $9,825 | $32,992 |
| Texas College | 4 | $10,958 | $33,752 |
Who Thrives Here
Chowan fits students with strong community or athletic ties to eastern North Carolina who can attend with minimal borrowing - typically Pell-eligible students whose net price drops well below the $14,086 average via additional grants. The 56.6 percent Pell rate and 603 enrollment confirm a small, financially constrained community. Outcomes look strongest in the small business program (graduates earning $55K by year four), though debt loads still strain.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Chowan University scores 10/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $14,086 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $38,412 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 29.9% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.12 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 55.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $29,491 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.12. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Chowan University: Common Questions
Is Chowan University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Chowan University scores 10/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $14,086 a year after aid against $38,412 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 Chowan University 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 $14,086 a year, or roughly $56,344 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 Chowan University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $38,412 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 Chowan University?
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 Chowan University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Chowan University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $29,491, against average earnings of $26,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.12. That is 1.0 or higher, meaning median debt is at least a full year of those earnings, so how much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Chowan University?
The six-year graduation rate is 29.9%. 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.