Culver-Stockton College
Canton, Missouri · Private Nonprofit · 99.1% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 22/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Culver-Stockton College earns a 22/100 ROI score and the Below Benchmark tier. The dominant problem is completion: only 39.2% of students who start finish, which by itself wipes out most of any expected earnings premium because non-completers carry debt without the credential. For those who do graduate, average earnings six years after entry are $33,700, climbing to a median $46,092 by year ten. Net price averages $21,983 against a $30,875 sticker, with a 4-year total cost of $87,932 and median federal debt of $26,000. The implied payback period is 20.5 years, and only 65% of borrowers are making progress three years out. Debt-to-earnings sits at 0.772, well above the 0.5 healthy threshold. The earnings-premium score (23) reflects a mere 12.6% lift over a typical high-school graduate's earnings - thin to non-existent in any meaningful financial sense. The honest read: Culver-Stockton's small-college community and athletic culture have intangible value for some students.
How Culver-Stockton 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.
- 6-year graduation rate39.2% - 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 period20.5 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Culver-Stockton College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $30,875/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $30,875/yr |
| Average net price | $21,983/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $87,932 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,092 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $33,700 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | 20.5 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 39.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 807 |
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: $30,875/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $21,983/year, or roughly $87,932 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 $17,712/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,786/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($33,700) and comes to 0.77, 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 | $17,712 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,801 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $21,584 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $24,016 |
| $110,001+ | $24,786 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 face $17,712 net price - a steep ask for that income bracket. Pell-eligible students should treat the $7,395 federal grant as floor and demand institutional gap aid from Culver-Stockton's financial aid office.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income brackets pay $18,801 ($30K-$48K), $21,584 ($48K-$75K), and $24,016 ($75K-$110K). Aid scales modestly across the lower middle, but the curve flattens quickly. The $48K-$75K bracket is where the value proposition deteriorates fastest - families lose Pell eligibility but still face $86,000-plus in four-year net cost, against $46,092 ten-year median earnings.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $24,786 - a $6,089 discount off the $30,875 sticker, mostly merit. Over four years that's $99,144 net. Median 10-year earnings are $46,092, and the small-college community fit is not something the earnings data measures.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at Culver-Stockton College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $50,742 | C |
| Teacher Education | $39,912 | D |
| Psychology | $37,472 | D |
| Teacher Education, Subject-Specific | $39,884 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $45,287 | D |
| Registered Nursing | $69,713 | - |
| Accounting | $64,270 | C+ |
| Health/Medical Preparatory Programs | $42,880 | - |
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.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business is Culver-Stockton's largest tracked program with 31 graduates per cohort. Graduates earn $41,985 one year out and $50,742 by year four. Median federal debt is $27,000 against a 0.643 debt-to-earnings ratio - a C grade. This is one of the school's stronger pathways.
Accounting
Accounting is the school's standout program. Graduates earn $49,004 one year out and $64,270 four years out, against $26,000 median debt and a 0.531 debt-to-earnings ratio (C+ grade). Only 9 graduates per cohort makes this a small, somewhat self-selected sample, but for a serious accounting student with CPA aspirations the program is defensible at this price point.
Teacher Education
Teacher education graduates earn $36,666 one year out, climbing only to $39,912 by year four - almost no mid-career growth. Median debt is $28,750 and debt-to-earnings is 0.784 (D grade). With 14 graduates per cohort, this is a meaningful program. The structural challenge is Missouri teacher salaries, not the school specifically, but the debt load makes this a marginal financial proposition. PSLF is essential.
Psychology
Psychology graduates earn $34,226 one year out and only $37,472 four years out. Median debt is $27,000, producing a 0.789 debt-to-earnings ratio (D grade). A bachelor's-only psychology degree is a notoriously weak earner anywhere; pairing it with this debt load and Culver-Stockton's price is a poor financial bet absent grad-school plans.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal justice graduates earn $33,394 one year out, climbing to $45,287 four years out. Median debt is $27,000 with a 0.809 debt-to-earnings ratio - a D ROI grade. Public-sector law enforcement careers have stable wages but limited upside.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 58.0% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 64.9% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 61.5% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 69.8% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Culver-Stockton 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 | 99.1% |
| Enrollment | 807 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.4% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,246 |
Culver-Stockton admits 99.1% of applicants - effectively open admission. Test-score mid-ranges are not reported in current Scorecard data, consistent with test-optional admissions and small reporting samples. The combination of near-universal admission and a 39.2% completion rate is the predictable outcome when a school admits broadly without commensurate retention investment; many admitted students are not academically prepared to complete, and the data shows it.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Culver-Stockton's ROI score is 22.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culver-Stockton College (this school) | 22 | $21,983 | $46,092 |
| Avila University | 51 | $16,053 | $52,773 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Grace Christian University | 24 | $12,404 | $41,663 |
| Laguna College of Art and Design | 22 | $42,505 | $47,867 |
| Mission University | 15 | $21,383 | $38,641 |
Who Thrives Here
Culver-Stockton is a small (807 students) private with a 39.4% Pell rate - a meaningfully access-mission profile. Many students are athletes drawn by NAIA participation opportunities. The honest fit profile: students who genuinely want this small-campus athletic experience and have a clear path to a quantitative or healthcare major (accounting, nursing) where the school's data suggests a workable outcome.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Culver-Stockton College scores 22/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $21,983 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,092 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 20.5 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 39.2% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 64.9% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $33,700 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77. 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.
Culver-Stockton College: Common Questions
Is Culver-Stockton College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Culver-Stockton College scores 22/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $21,983 a year after aid against $46,092 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 20.5 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Culver-Stockton 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 $21,983 a year, or roughly $87,932 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 Culver-Stockton College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,092 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,292 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 Culver-Stockton 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 20.5 years for Culver-Stockton College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Culver-Stockton College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $33,700 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.77. 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 Culver-Stockton College?
The six-year graduation rate is 39.2%. 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.