Conception Seminary College
Conception, Missouri · Private Nonprofit · 31.8% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 39/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Conception Seminary College earns the Below Benchmark tier with an ROI score of 39 out of 100, but the conventional ROI math is not the right lens for evaluating this institution. The Conception, Missouri Catholic seminary trains future Benedictine priests and serves just 40 enrolled students. Sticker tuition is $26,206 with a $24,558 net price after aid, putting four-year cost-of-attendance at $98,232. Average 6-year earnings data are not reported, with only median 10-year earnings of $50,430 available. The 50.0% completion rate suggests that half of seminarians who matriculate eventually finish their philosophy and pre-theology preparation; many transfer into theology graduate programs at major Catholic seminaries. Debt and repayment data are largely not reported, reflecting the highly specialized population. Conception's ROI score depends almost entirely on imputed values for missing fields, which limits its analytical reliability. Students here are discerning vocations; the financial return calculation that drives most college decisions does not apply.
How Conception Seminary 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 Score39/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period15.4 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Conception Seminary College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $26,206/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $26,206/yr |
| Average net price | $24,558/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $98,232 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $50,430 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | N/A |
| Median debt at graduation | N/A |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | N/A |
| Estimated payback period | 15.4 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 50.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 40 |
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: $26,206/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $24,558/year, or roughly $98,232 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 $22,728/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
The Department of Education does not report a median debt figure for this school, usually because too few students borrow federal loans for the figure to be published. Our ROI score gives this measure a neutral middle value rather than treating it as zero debt.
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 | $22,728 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $30,053 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | N/A |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $22,724 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30K pay $22,728 net annually. Most Conception seminarians are sponsored by their home diocese or religious community rather than paying out-of-pocket, so these numbers reflect the few students paying as conventional self-pay individuals. The $30,001-48,000 bracket shows a notable inversion at $30,053, paying more than the $0-30K bracket; this likely reflects very small sample sizes producing irregular aid distributions.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-75,000 bracket is not reported. The $75,001-110,000 bracket pays $22,724 net annually, essentially flat to the lowest bracket. The flat curve suggests Conception's aid mechanism doesn't differentiate strongly by income, possibly because most students are funded by sponsoring church bodies.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $110,001-plus bracket is not reported, indicating effectively no high-income self-pay students. This is consistent with the institutional model: Conception's funding comes substantially from religious orders and dioceses, not market-rate tuition payers.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | N/A | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | N/A | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | N/A | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Conception Seminary College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 31.8% |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 1-5 |
| Enrollment | 40 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 19.5% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,187 |
Conception Seminary College admits 31.8% of applicants, which on paper looks selective but in practice reflects ecclesiastical screening (vocation discernment, sponsorship by a diocese or religious order) more than academic credentials. The reported ACT composite range of 1-5 is implausibly low and almost certainly a data error in Scorecard reporting; SAT scores are not reported.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conception Seminary College (this school) | 39 | $24,558 | $50,430 |
| Avila University | 51 | $16,053 | $52,773 |
| Eastern Nazarene College | 40 | $25,381 | $54,727 |
| International Baptist College and Seminary | 37 | $14,660 | $39,556 |
| American Baptist College | 32 | $9,216 | $41,216 |
| Mission University | 15 | $21,383 | $38,641 |
Who Thrives Here
Just 40 students enrolled, with a 19.5% Pell rate that reflects the dominant funding model of diocesan or religious-order sponsorship rather than family or federal aid. Admission requires an ecclesiastical sponsor. This is not an institution to evaluate on conventional outcomes; it is a specialized formation environment for a specific vocational pathway.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Conception Seminary College scores 39/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $24,558 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $50,430 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.4 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 50.0% graduation rate, a long payback period.
Conception Seminary College: Common Questions
Is Conception Seminary College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Conception Seminary College scores 39/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $24,558 a year after aid against $50,430 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.4 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Conception Seminary 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 $24,558 a year, or roughly $98,232 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 Conception Seminary College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $50,430 ten years after enrolling, roughly $8,630 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 Conception Seminary 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 15.4 years for Conception Seminary College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
What is the graduation rate at Conception Seminary College?
The six-year graduation rate is 50.0%. 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.