Cottey College
Nevada, Missouri · Private Nonprofit · 69.2% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 22/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Cottey College earns a CampusROI score of 22 out of 100 (Below Benchmark tier), and the underlying numbers explain why. Despite a relatively modest net price of $13,805 per year against a $27,562 sticker tuition, the financial outcomes after graduation are weak. Average earnings six years after entry are just $26,300, climbing to a median $35,422 at ten years. The earnings premium subscore of 7 (raw value 0.008) signals that Cottey alumni earn barely more than people with only a high school diploma. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.724 paired with $19,043 in median debt produces an extraordinary 462.6-year payback period, which in practical terms means a typical graduate's earnings never meaningfully recoup the full four-year cost. Cottey is a tiny women's college (enrollment 254) with a 46.2% Pell rate, so the school clearly serves lower-income students, but the wage outcomes don't justify the full four-year price tag for most majors.
How Cottey 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 Score22/100 - 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.
Cottey College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $27,562/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $27,562/yr |
| Average net price | $13,805/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $55,220 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $35,422 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,300 |
| Median debt at graduation | $19,043 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $202 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 56.3% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 254 |
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: $27,562/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $13,805/year, or roughly $55,220 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 $14,093/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $18,130/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $19,043, which works out to about $202 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 0.72, 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 | $14,093 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $10,634 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,063 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $15,732 |
| $110,001+ | $18,130 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-30,000 face a $14,093 net price - slightly above the overall net price of $13,805, which signals that Cottey's lowest-income aid package is not particularly generous. Over four years that totals about $56,000. Set against median ten-year earnings of $35,422, even the lowest-income bracket pays roughly the same as everyone else, with no meaningful Pell-grant cushioning at this institution.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-75,000) pay $12,063 per year - actually the second-lowest bracket, suggesting some mid-income aid stacking. Four-year cost runs about $48,000.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $18,130 per year, or roughly $72,500 over four years. For high-income students who can absorb the cost without loans, the women's-college experience may be worth it for cultural reasons - but the financial ROI is poor.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 66.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 73.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 66.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 72.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Cottey 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 | 69.2% |
| Enrollment | 254 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 46.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $5,576 |
Cottey admits 69.2% of applicants, putting it in the moderately selective category that mostly screens out unprepared students rather than turning away strong ones. SAT and ACT mid-range data are not reported in current Scorecard data. With a 56.3% completion rate, the admit pool is wide enough that retention - not selectivity - is the binding constraint on outcomes.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Cottey's ROI score of 22 sits squarely in the Below Benchmark tier.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottey College (this school) | 22 | $13,805 | $35,422 |
| Avila University | 51 | $16,053 | $52,773 |
| Welch College | 23 | $25,263 | $42,198 |
| Northland College | 21 | $36,119 | $44,560 |
| Universidad Teologica del Caribe | 20 | $9,045 | $23,536 |
| Mission University | 15 | $21,383 | $38,641 |
Who Thrives Here
Cottey fits a narrow profile: students who specifically want a women's college experience, a tight-knit campus of roughly 254 students, and a Missouri location. The 46.2% Pell rate shows the school does serve lower-income students, and the net price for the 0-30,000 income bracket ($14,093) is broadly in line with the overall net price. But the financial outcomes after graduation are weak across the board: earnings of $26,300 at six years and $35,422 at ten years suggest most graduates won't see a strong wage premium. Prospective students should weigh the cultural fit against the long payback math.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Cottey College scores 22/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $13,805 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $35,422 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, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $19,043 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,300 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. 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.
Cottey College: Common Questions
Is Cottey College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Cottey College scores 22/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $13,805 a year after aid against $35,422 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 Cottey 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 $13,805 a year, or roughly $55,220 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 Cottey College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $35,422 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 Cottey 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 more than 50 years for Cottey College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Cottey College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $19,043, against average earnings of $26,300 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.72. 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 Cottey College?
The six-year graduation rate is 56.3%. 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.