Crowley's Ridge College
Paragould, Arkansas · Private Nonprofit
ROI Score: 12/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Crowley's Ridge College, a very small Christian liberal arts college in Paragould, Arkansas, scores 12 out of 100, in the Below Benchmark tier under our methodology. Only 165 students are enrolled. Tuition is $16,670 with net price at $16,315 and a four-year sticker of $65,260. The structural concerns are stark: 35.9% completion rate (less than four in ten finish), $24,200 in average earnings six years after entry rising only to a median $39,533 by year ten, a 45.3-year payback period, and a 1.084 debt-to-earnings ratio (graduates owe more than a year of pre-tax income). Median federal debt is $26,228. The 57.1% three-year repayment rate signals that more than four in ten borrowers are not reducing principal three years out. The empty programs array means CRC does not have program-level outcome data published, which itself reflects the small graduate cohort. Crowley's Ridge is a niche denominational institution where the numbers do not work outside specific faith-based vocational paths.
How Crowley's Ridge 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 Score12/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Debt-to-earnings1.08 - Median debt is larger than one year of average earnings six years after entry (a ratio above 1.0).
- 6-year graduation rate35.9% - 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 period45.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Crowley's Ridge College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $16,670/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $16,670/yr |
| Average net price | $16,315/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $65,260 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $39,533 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $24,200 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,228 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $278 |
| Estimated payback period | 45.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 35.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 165 |
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: $16,670/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $16,315/year, or roughly $65,260 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 $15,652/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $18,079/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,228, which works out to about $278 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($24,200) and comes to 1.08, 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 | $15,652 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,238 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $12,707 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $19,956 |
| $110,001+ | $18,079 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning $0-$30,000 pay $15,652 net price. Pell and Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship help, but with $39,533 in 10-year median earnings and $26,228 in median debt, the math is challenging. Most low-income students will leave with debt exceeding their first-year earnings and only one-in-three odds of finishing the degree.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays $17,238 - higher than the lowest bracket, an unexpected inversion. The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $12,707, the cheapest tier on this profile - a clear bracket inversion where middle-income families pay $4,531 less than the next-lower bracket. This irregular aid pattern likely reflects merit-aid concentration plus small-sample variation. Flag the bracket inversions when modeling cost.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $19,956 - the highest tier, with $110,001+ at $18,079 (another minor inversion). The aid model has clear non-monotonic pricing across brackets. Full-pay families pay roughly $18,000-$20,000 net annually.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 55.2% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 57.1% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 41.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 49.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Crowley's Ridge 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
| Enrollment | 165 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 41.8% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,135 |
Crowley's Ridge College does not report an admission rate, SAT, or ACT range in current Scorecard data. With 165 students enrolled, the institution functions as a small open-access denominational college where admission is generally available to applicants meeting basic requirements. The 35.9% completion rate is the relevant fit signal: most entering students do not finish, suggesting both academic preparation gaps and financial pressure on the small-college budget for staying in school.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowley's Ridge College (this school) | 12 | $16,315 | $39,533 |
| Lyon College | 29 | $19,616 | $44,232 |
| Central Christian College of the Bible | 15 | $14,356 | $34,675 |
| Great Lakes Christian College | 12 | $15,524 | $31,053 |
| Barclay College | 10 | $29,290 | $36,355 |
| Arkansas Baptist College | 4 | $10,627 | $28,418 |
Who Thrives Here
CRC enrolls just 165 students with a 41.8% Pell rate. The school's value proposition is denominational fit rather than career ROI.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Crowley's Ridge College scores 12/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $16,315 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $39,533 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 45.3 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 35.9% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.08 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 57.1% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,228 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $24,200 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.08. 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.
Crowley's Ridge College: Common Questions
Is Crowley's Ridge College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Crowley's Ridge College scores 12/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $16,315 a year after aid against $39,533 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 45.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Crowley's Ridge 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 $16,315 a year, or roughly $65,260 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 Crowley's Ridge College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $39,533 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 Crowley's Ridge 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 45.3 years for Crowley's Ridge College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Crowley's Ridge College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,228, against average earnings of $24,200 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.08. 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 Crowley's Ridge College?
The six-year graduation rate is 35.9%. 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.