Concordia University Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan · Private Nonprofit · 69.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 39/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Concordia University Ann Arbor earns an overall ROI score of 39 (Below Benchmark). The Lutheran-affiliated school in Ann Arbor, MI charges $35,410 tuition with an average net price of $32,811. Four-year cost runs $131,244. Earnings are $40,400 six years out and $56,075 at 10 years, with $25,750 median debt and debt-to-earnings of 0.637 - relatively favorable. Payback runs 12.9 years and repayment is 73% three-year. Completion is 47.6%, the weakest piece of the profile. The institution's nursing and allied health programs pull strong outcomes (B and B+ grades), but the business and education tracks are weaker. The score lands in Below Benchmark primarily because net price exceeds aid efficiency at most income bands - families pay close to sticker. Program selection determines whether the price tag is justified.
How Concordia University Ann Arbor 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.
Concordia University Ann Arbor
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $35,410/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $35,410/yr |
| Average net price | $32,811/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $131,244 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $56,075 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $40,400 |
| Median debt at graduation | $25,750 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $273 |
| Estimated payback period | 12.9 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 47.6% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 702 |
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: $35,410/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $32,811/year, or roughly $131,244 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 $28,829/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $35,139/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $25,750, which works out to about $273 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($40,400) and comes to 0.64, 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 | $28,829 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $30,199 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $32,218 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $32,526 |
| $110,001+ | $35,139 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $28,829 net - about $115K total. Limited aid for the lowest-income cohort. Workable only if the student enters a strong-earnings program (nursing, allied health) and completes.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48K-$110K) pay $32,218-$32,526 net per year - nearly the same as the highest income bracket. The aid structure is barely progressive. Four-year cost approaches $130K. The donut-hole problem is acute here: too wealthy for major aid, too constrained for sticker.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families over $110K pay $35,139 - essentially full sticker. The four-year cost is $141K. The Lutheran community fit and proximity to Ann Arbor are the main value levers; financial ROI is not the primary case.
Earnings by Major
Top 10 most popular majors at Concordia University Ann Arbor with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $81,505 | B |
| Kinesiology and Exercise Science | $55,624 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $56,188 | C |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $49,446 | D |
| Psychology | $55,486 | C+ |
| Teacher Education, Subject-Specific | $42,923 | C |
| Biology | $59,231 | F |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $65,787 | C+ |
| Social Work | $55,600 | C+ |
| Teacher Education | $45,665 | C |
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.
Registered Nursing
Registered Nursing earns a B with 35 graduates per cycle - Concordia's flagship program. Graduates earn $72,393 one year out and $81,505 at four years against $28,750 median debt. Debt-to-earnings of 0.397 is solid. Michigan has a strong nursing labor market, particularly in the Ann Arbor/Detroit corridor, and Concordia's BSN graduates plug into that pipeline well.
Allied Health Diagnostic and Treatment
Allied Health Diagnostic and Treatment earns a B with just 2 graduates. Very small sample, but the outcomes are strong: $67,407 first-year and $76,617 at four years against $26,497 debt - a 0.393 ratio. The small graduate count means individual outcomes drive the average, so prospective students should validate this is a real program at scale rather than a niche allied-health track.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration earns a C+ with just 6 graduates. Earnings of $56,347 first-year and $65,787 at four years against $27,625 debt produces a 0.49 ratio - defensible. The small graduate count is the issue: business is typically a large program at private nonprofits and a 6-grad cycle suggests either weak recruitment or significant transfer-out activity.
Kinesiology and Exercise Science
Kinesiology earns a D with 13 graduates. First-year earnings of $27,522 against $27,000 debt produces a 0.981 ratio. The four-year earnings jump to $55,624 helps the long-run picture. Students drawn to athletic training or physical therapy should price-in graduate school plans before enrolling.
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies earns a D with 10 graduates. First-year earnings of $33,484 against $26,000 debt produces a 0.776 ratio. Interdisciplinary tracks at small privates often function as completion-pathway majors for students who could not finish their original major; the financial outcomes reflect that pattern.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 67.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 73.0% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 59.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 66.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Concordia University Ann Arbor’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 | 69.3% |
| Enrollment | 702 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 24.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,511 |
Concordia Ann Arbor admits 69.3% of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, reflecting test-optional policy. The selectivity is moderate, and the 47.6% completion rate suggests an admissions process that takes academic preparation risks without the support infrastructure to fully bridge them.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concordia University Ann Arbor (this school) | 39 | $32,811 | $56,075 |
| Albion College | 65 | $14,301 | $58,799 |
| Adrian College | 39 | $25,368 | $55,504 |
| Tennessee Wesleyan University | 39 | $14,836 | $45,989 |
| Parker University | 39 | $29,135 | $42,091 |
| Peirce College | 38 | $12,148 | $50,660 |
Who Thrives Here
Pell rate is 24.1% - a relatively middle-income student body. The strongest fit case is nursing or allied-health entry track.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Concordia University Ann Arbor scores 39/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $32,811 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $56,075 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 12.9 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 47.6% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64 (median across the schools we score: 0.61).
Median debt of $25,750 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $40,400 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64. 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.
Concordia University Ann Arbor: Common Questions
Is Concordia University Ann Arbor worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Concordia University Ann Arbor scores 39/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $32,811 a year after aid against $56,075 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 12.9 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Concordia University Ann Arbor 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 $32,811 a year, or roughly $131,244 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 Concordia University Ann Arbor graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $56,075 ten years after enrolling, roughly $14,275 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 Concordia University Ann Arbor?
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 12.9 years for Concordia University Ann Arbor. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Concordia University Ann Arbor graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $25,750, against average earnings of $40,400 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64. 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 Concordia University Ann Arbor?
The six-year graduation rate is 47.6%. 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.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
From CampusROI, when there is something worth acting on.
Rankings & Links
Guides & Tools
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.